TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Manufacturing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will provide a breakdown of the investment her Department made in 2000–01 to the programmes designed to improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.

Brian Wilson: The Department's expenditure in this area is reported under the objective of "Promotion of enterprise, innovation and increased productivity". The total cash outturn for this objective is shown in the Appropriation Accounts 2000–01 (HC 335-IX), and the resource outturn in the Consolidated Resource Accounts 2000–01 (HC503). Further breakdowns will shortly be published in the Department's Expenditure Plans Report for 2002–03, and also in the Treasury's Supplementary Budgetary Information (SBI) tables. I regret that a breakdown between manufacturing and service sectors is not available. However, a good proportion of this money, though not all, will have benefited manufacturing directly or indirectly.

Better Quality Services Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of the services of her Department have not been reviewed under the Better Quality Services Initiative; and when they will be reviewed.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department has been reviewing its services under the Better Quality Services programme for some time (see Trade and Industry—The Government's Expenditure Plans 2001–02 to 2003–04), and building on this work, my Department has recently undertaken a review of its role, priorities and structure, and a review of its business support. As a result of these reviews, from 2 April 2002, a new structure has been put in place that is designed to help facilitate change and help the Department become more customer-focused. Tools and techniques from BQS will now be included in the Department's change management programme as part of improving customer focus and the effectiveness and value for money of service delivery. The Department is continuing its reviews of its agencies in line with BQS principles.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the draft EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive will be applied in the UK in respect of (a) foreign manufactured equipment and (b) equipment personally imported into the UK from outside the EU.

Brian Wilson: The Common Position text requires the end of life costs for equipment imported into the UK to be met by the manufacturer in the case of EU-made goods or the professional importer in the case of goods made outside the EU.
	A decision on personal imports will be taken after full consultation on implementation options.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will seek to prevent adoption of the draft EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive in the form recently approved by the European Parliament.

Brian Wilson: The UK continues to support the Common Position text adopted by member states at the Council of Ministers meeting in June 2001.
	The Government will consider the European Parliament text carefully in conjunction with other member states.

Research Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 18 March 2002, Official Report, column 86W, on the Research Council, what the Government's policy was on the work of the expert group on bioterrorism.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government's policy was to welcome the establishment of the EU R and D expert group on countering biological and chemical terrorism which should lead to improved coordination of member states' research efforts in this field.

Recruitment

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many net additional staff her Department has recruited in each month since June 2001 at (a) executive officer level and (b) administrative level.

Patricia Hewitt: The figures requested for my Department are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Administrative grades Executive officer 
		
		
			 June 11 0 
			 July 24 -2 
			 August 3 -1 
			 September 5 -2 
			 October 4 4 
			 November -5 -1 
			 December 2 -3 
			 January 4 3 
			 February 0 0 
			 March 13 0

Young People

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what subjects and on which dates her Department has consulted organisations representing young people; and if she will list such organisations.

Patricia Hewitt: I regret to inform my hon. Friend that the information is not held centrally in the manner requested and that the information can be secured only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the Department of Trade and Industry will be guided by the new core principles for the involvement of children and young people in the design, provision and evaluation of policies and services that affect them. These principles were published by the Minister with responsibility for young people in November 2001.

Construction Industry

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what progress her Department is making in establishing a quality mark scheme for the construction industry;
	(2)  what action she is taking to rationalise the number of registration schemes which promote quality within the construction industry.

Patricia Hewitt: My hon. Friend the Minister with responsbility for energy and construction announced his decision to roll out the scheme across the country over a three to four year period, in his answer to the question from the hon. Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 12 March 2002, Official Report, column 891W. A Quality Mark Shadow Ownership Group has since been set up and, at its first meeting on 19 April, it began developing a comprehensive implementation strategy and detailed business plan. The group is finalising decisions about the next stages of the roll out.
	Following recommendations in the pilot review, the scheme is developing recruitment mechanisms to accelerate achievement of a critical mass of members. So far 175 builders have been awarded the Quality Mark and 247 are in the assessment pipeline, with more firms expected to apply shortly.
	The DTI is also working with local authorities, financial services groups, consumer groups and others to promote the scheme to tradesmen and encourage their participation.
	The national launch of the Quality Mark at the Ideal Home Show produced extensive television and radio coverage and articles in regional newspapers. The scheme is already being marketed successfully to consumers in Birmingham and Somerset through a variety of media, including Yellow Pages and Thomsons directories, household leaflet distribution with advertising and editorial coverage in a number of local papers and radio stations. Further targeted marketing will follow in new areas once sufficient numbers of builders and tradesmen are registered, to satisfy consumer demand.
	The DTI is working with a number of trade bodies to fast-track members into the Quality Mark scheme through use of trade association vetting procedures adapted as necessary. The DTI is also examining the scope for developing closer links between the Quality Mark and Constructionline, looking for some form of passporting system between the two schemes that might allow fee reductions and reduce duplication of assessments. However, the schemes do have different client targets and operating systems and a number of issues need to be considered carefully. In addition, the DTI has been liaising closely with DTLR on self-certification schemes and extension of non-notification of building work under amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations.

Westfield

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates since 1 May 1997 when (a) Ministers and (b) officials have met representatives of Westfield.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 29 April 2002
	Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and analysis. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists. Some of these discussions take place on a confidential basis, and in order to preserve confidentiality, it is not the normal practice of Governments to release details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies.

Imports

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value of imports of (a) paper, (b) cloth, (c) chemicals, (d) foodstuffs, (e) medical supplies, (f) fruit, (g) grain, (h) cars, (i) computer equipment, (j) steel, (k) alcohol and (l) livestock to Wales was in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: The information requested is not available since it would require local firms to divert resources to fill in forms and submit them to Government and therefore pose a significant additional burden on respondents.

National Missile Defence

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions her Department has had with UK firms bidding for work on the US-initiated programme of National Missile Defence; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: A decision to bid for work on the US-initiated programme of National Missile Defence is a commercial one for individual firms to make. DTI Ministers and officials have regular meetings with UK aerospace and defence companies on a range of issues and is supportive of decisions to bid for work in this and in other areas.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, 
	(1)  pursuant to her answer of 22 October 2001, Official Report, column 7, to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North, (Mr. Chaytor) when she received the annual report from the Office for Civil Nuclear Security; and when she plans to place a copy in the Library;
	(2)  when she plans to publish the annual report of her Department's Office for Civil Nuclear Security.

Brian Wilson: I have not yet received the report, but understand that I shall do shortly. I shall publish it and place a copy in the Libraries of the House before the end of May.

Overtime Payments

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will introduce improved safeguards to stop employers requiring their employees to work overtime without payment.

Alan Johnson: Payment for overtime is a contractual matter for negotiation and a agreement between employers and employees (or their representatives). Employees can already seek redress in the form of a breach of contract claim if they suffer financial loss because any terms of their contracts of employment are changed without their consent. Workers can also seek redress if unlawful deductions are made from their wages.

Holiday Entitlement

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will introduce legislation to require employers to agree holidays with their employers on an annual basis.

Alan Johnson: Under the Working Time Regulations, which implement the European Working Time Directive, employers are already required to ensure that their workers are given the opportunity to take four weeks leave with pay each year.

Icelandic Trawlermen (Compensation)

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to accept sworn statements from those wishing to make claims under the Icelandic waters trawlermen compensation scheme whose services records are lost; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Scheme rules state that, in exceptional cases, e. g. where it can be demonstrated that fishing records were lost in a fire or similar circumstances, the Redundancy Payments Service, to assist in validating claims under the Scheme, may be prepared to accept a sworn statement from the claimant in lieu of documentary evidence.

Small Businesses

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance the Government have given to small businesses to help them through the global downturn.

Nigel Griffiths: Government provide a range of assistance to small firms experiencing difficulties.
	Small businesses dependent on UK airlines affected by 11 September will benefit indirectly from the aid package provided by the UK Government to the aviation industry which is in addition to the significant financial contribution the Government make to the aerospace industry generally.
	There are also other forms of generic business support available to small firms facing difficulties:
	The SBS launched its Company Rescue Pilot scheme in September 2001. The pilot scheme will initially run for 6–12 months. It is aimed at giving SMEs suffering from short-term financial difficulties a second chance.
	The Business Link network provides advice and support for businesses suffering as a result of a recent crisis including advising on a range of disaster management issues. Businesses should telephone 0845 600 9 006 in order to contact their local Business Link Operator.
	The Government have recently established the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) to improve the UK's resilience to disruptive challenges at every level through improved anticipation, preparation, prevention and resolution. In addition, the Small Business Service (SBS) is identifying current market weaknesses in the provision of emergency loans to small businesses affected by disaster and will report back to Government with its findings and recommendations.
	Finally, the National Business Debtline is in place to help Micro Businesses in England and Wales facing debt problems to obtain free, confidential and impartial advice.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the written questions asked of her between (a) 1 to 30 June 2001, (b) 1 to 31 July 2001, (c) 1 to 30 September 2001, (d) 1 to 31 October 2001, (e) 1 to 30 November 2001, (f) 1 to 31 December 2001, (g) 1 to 31 January 2002, (h) 1 to 28 February 2002, (i) 1 to 31 March 2002 and (j) 1 to 30 April 2002 that had not received a substantive answer by 30 April; and if she will state (i) the name of the hon. Member asking the question and (ii) the reasons the question had not received a substantive answer.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 2 May 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 2 May 2002, Official Report, columns 949–50W, by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House.
	Questions that remain unanswered within the dates listed are as follows:
	(a) 1 to 30 June—(f) 1 to 31 December: 0
	(g) 1 to 31 January: 1
	(h) 1 to 28 February: 4
	(i) 1 to 31 March: 7
	(j) 1 to 30 April: 41.
	The delays in answering these questions have been due in part to work pressures throughout the Department. However answers will be provided shortly.

Liquid Petroleum Gas

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what measures her Department is taking to encourage the use of liquid petroleum gas;
	(2)  what incentives her Department offers to retailers to encourage the sale of liquid petroleum gas.

Brian Wilson: This Department is actively working with colleagues in DTLR and HMT, and with the energy and transport industries, to promote wider uptake of alternative fuels, in particular liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
	At the opening to the 1,000th LPG filling station in February this year I announced LPG Boost, a £1 million DTI funded programme over two years to boost the uptake of LPG as a vehicular fuel. This programme (in conjunction with DTLR funded PowerShift) is aimed at boosting consumer demand for, and availability of, good quality LPG vehicles, especially in three target areas, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Mid Wales and rural East Anglia.
	Additionally, the LP Gas Association inform us that new retail sites are opening at a rate approaching one per day, with 1,076 sties as of 29 April. Given these incentives and the rate at which sites are opening the Government feel that it is not necessary to offer direct capital incentives to retailers.

Beer Production

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total annual UK production of beer is in pints.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Nigel Evans, dated 7 May 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the annual UK production of beer in pints. (52983)
	For the year 2000, the total annual UK production of beer in pints was 10,370 million (rounded to the nearest 10 million). Details are given in 'ONS ProdCom (Products of the European Community) 2000 Annual Inquiry' which is available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=7384&More=N.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will place in the Library copies of each version of the internal guidance which have been drawn up by her Department since 1 January 1999 to assist staff in her Department to answer subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, has not produced separate internal guidance on answering subject access requests.
	In the Department for which the Attorney-General is responsible, details are as follows:
	The Crown Prosecution Service issued guidance to staff about the Data Protection Act in February 2000 (Inform Insert Issue 6) and September 2001 (Data Protection Act 1998 Update), and has also produced a poster.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department issued guidance to staff in February 2000 (Office Notice 9/2000).
	The Serious Fraud Office has not produced separate internal guidance on answering subject access requests.
	I have placed copies of this guidance in the House Library. No other separate guidance has been issued.
	All Departments also have the central guidance on handling subject access requests issued by the Lord Chancellor and placed in the House Library on 25 April 2002.

Sentence Referrals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions in each of the last five years for which figures are available her Department was unable to complete the usual procedures in handling requests for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience within the required time limit.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The Attorney and I have been able to consider and take a decision in all cases received at his office within the time limit.

Sentence Referrals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General what deadlines and time limits exist on the referral of sentences to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The Attorney-General has the power (under section 35 and 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988) to refer a sentence for a specified category of offences, to the Court of Appeal for review, if it appears to be not merely lenient but unduly so. Schedule 3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 specifies that notice of an application for leave to refer a case to the Court of Appeal shall be given to the Registrar of Criminal Appeals within 28 days from the day on which the sentence, or the last of the sentences, in the case was passed. This period cannot be extended.

Sentence Referrals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the procedure undertaken by her Department upon receipt of a request to refer a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The Attorney receives requests to refer a sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience from two sources.
	The first source is the prosecuting authority (such as the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office etc.), which conducted the case against the offender. The written request is accompanied by various documents. These invariably include, but are not limited to, the following:
	1. Relevant case papers, including material obtained for the purpose of the sentence, such as pre-sentence reports, the offender's antecedents, if any, etc.;
	2. A summary of the prosecution's case, the defence mitigation and the learned Judge's sentencing remarks.
	3. Relevant authorities, that is decisions in previous cases.
	4. Advice from Treasury Counsel, not involved in the prosecution of the case.
	The Attorney gives due consideration to the information and takes into account Counsel's advice. He is however not bound to follow the advice Counsel offers.
	The Attorney also receives requests for referral to the Court of Appeal from members of the public and also Members of this House. In such circumstances the relevant prosecutorial authority is approached and is required to provide the above stated documents.

Sentence Referrals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General how many requests to refer sentences to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience her Department has received in each of the last five years for which records are available from (a) the CPS and (b) other sources.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Relevant records are only available for the year 2000 onwards. The following figures are available. These figures represent the number of offenders whose cases were referred to the Attorney General's office on the grounds of undue leniency:
	
		
			 Year CPS Other sources 
		
		
			 2000 136 27 
			 2001 226 49

Sentence Referrals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General how many sentences have been referred to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue lenience following representations from (a) the CPS and (b) other sources in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Relevant records are only available for the year 2000 onwards. The following figures are available. These figures represent the number of offenders whose cases were referred to the Court of Appeal.
	
		
			  CPS Other sources 
		
		
			 2000 87 6 
			 2001 136 18

Dublin Monaghan Bombing

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Solicitor-General what funds have been set aside to conduct a defence in proceedings brought by families of victims of the Dublin Monaghan bombing.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	No funds have been set aside to conduct a defence of proceedings brought by families of the Dublin Monaghan bombing. In the event that proceedings are commenced, then the Department responsible for defending the action will be billed after the event in the normal way in respect of any work done. No proceedings are currently on foot.

Dublin Monaghan Bombing

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Solicitor-General what solicitors he has appointed to represent the Government in proceedings brought by families of victims of the Dublin Monaghan bombing.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	In the event that any proceedings are issued, the British Government will be represented by the Treasury Solicitor instructing local (Dublin) agents as necessary.

Sovereign Immunity

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Solicitor-General in how many Northern Ireland conflict-related cases sovereign immunity has been sought since 1980; what reasons were given in each case; and what rulings were subsequently made by each court or tribunal.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 2 May 2002
	From the research that has been possible in the time available, I am aware of three cases in which a claim of sovereign immunity has been made or intimated in Northern Ireland conflict-related cases.
	The cases are:
	ILRM 275, and the Court explains in detail the basis of sovereign immunity upon which it upheld the order striking out the claim.
	Bridget McGovern v. Ministry of Defence (in the early 1990s, unreported), in which the claimant claimed in the Republic in respect of damage to her property caused by an explosion at the border. Her claim was struck out by the Irish Court on grounds of sovereign immunity. Ms McGovern subsequently issued proceedings in the Courts of Northern Ireland and recovered damage for her loss.
	Adams v. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and George Mitchell (1998 unreported). Mr. Gerry Adams sought judicial review in the Court of the Republic in respect of the decision of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to exclude Sinn Fein at that stage from the peace negotiations. A claim for sovereign immunity was to be made but the claim was not pursued to a substantive hearing, probably because the negotiations returned to Northern Ireland.
	Sovereign immunity is an elementary principle of international law which states that in general an independent sovereign state may not be sued in the courts of a foreign state against its will and without its consent. One factor of relevance is which is the most convenient forum for the claim to be heard, and it is noteworthy from the McGovern case that Ms McGovern was able successfully to pursue her claim in the Courts of Northern Ireland.

PRIME MINISTER

Sellafield

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Prime Minister how many pieces of correspondence in connection with the Irish Government campaign with regard to Sellafield he has received; what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the Irish Republic on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Foyle (Mr. Hume) in the House on 1 May 2002, Official Report, column 941.

Ministerial Visits

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on (a) security issues and (b) nuclear weapons in respect of his visit to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in January; and what representations he has received regarding the state of intergovernmental relations in the sub-continent.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 11 January 2002, Official Report, column 1034W.
	We remain deeply concerned by the continuing tensions between India and Pakistan. We have called on Pakistan to ensure an end to cross-border terrorism, and on both sides to resume a dialogue so that a lasting solution can be found to the issues between them.

Gibraltar

Michael Ancram: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings he plans to hold with the Prime Minister of Spain to discuss the future of Gibraltar within the Brussels process; and what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister of Spain about Gibraltar since the European Council's meeting at Barcelona.

Tony Blair: I talk to the Spanish Prime Minister frequently on a range of EU and foreign policy issues, and I look forward to seeing him at our next planned meetings on 17 and 20 May. I have not discussed Gibraltar with Mr. Aznar since the European Council in Barcelona.

Meetings

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the Prime Minister of Spain; and what will be on the agenda for discussion.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) today.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1 Palace Street

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if sapele wood was used in the recent refurbishment of 1 Palace street.

Clare Short: Sapele was used in a small number of doors during the recent refurbishment. These were used only in the small Grade two-listed section of the building, following consultation with local planning officers. The suppliers no longer purchase veneer from tropical forest zones, and have been permitted by WWF to use up the veneer from existing stocks.

International Debt

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value is of bilateral debt repayments to the United Kingdom for (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02, broken down by each of the HIPC eligible countries.

Clare Short: The value of bilateral debt repayment to the UK by the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries is £11.603 million for 2000–01 and £19.575 million for 2001–02. These figures relate to old rescheduled debt owed to ECGD from the 1970s and 1980s; details are set out, by HIPC country, and by financial year, in the table. There were no repayments on aid loans to the UK, as we have already cancelled our aid debts to all the poorest countries, not just HIPCs.
	The Government provide 100 per cent. relief on their bilateral debt to HIPC countries once they qualify for debt relief under the HIPC initiative.
	
		Amount of debt repayment received by ECGD from HIPCs -- Recoveries £ million
		
			 HIPC country 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Angola — — 
			 Benin(1) 0.146 0.051 
			 Bolivia(1) 0.872 0.409 
			 Burkina Faso(1) 0.066 0.061 
			 Cameroon(1) 1.421 0.363 
			 Central African Republic 0.010 — 
			 Congo — — 
			 Cote d'Ivoire — — 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo — — 
			 Ethiopia(1) 0.526 — 
			 Ghana(1) 0.705 — 
			 Guinea Republic(1) 0.185 0.012 
			 Guyana 3.026 1.228 
			 Kenya — 14.942 
			 Liberia — — 
			 Madagascar(1) — — 
			 Malawi(1) 0.114 — 
			 Mali(1) 0.240 0.095 
			 Mauritania(1) 0.005 0.009 
			 Mozambique(1) — — 
			 Nicaragua(1) — — 
			 Niger(1) — — 
			 Senegal(1) 0.013 0.176 
			 Sierra Leone(1) — — 
			 Somalia — — 
			 Sudan — — 
			 Tanzania(1) — 0.387 
			 Togo — — 
			 Uganda(1) 0.465 — 
			 Vietnam 0.749 0.699 
			 Yemen(1) 0.213 0.186 
			 Zambia(1) 2.847 0.957 
			  
			 Total 11.603 19,575 
		
	
	(1) Have now passed Decision Point.
	Note:
	When HIPCs reach their Decision Points they are no longer required to service their debt—with a commitment to full write-off, eg Bolivia, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania.

International Debt

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries she expects to reach decision point under the HIPC initiative in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Clare Short: So far this year, Ghana and Sierra Leone have reached their decision point under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, bringing the total to 26 out of a total of 42 HIPCs. We hope that, by autumn, Cote d'lvoire will be added to the list of countries benefiting from the Initiative. In 2003, three countries (Comoros, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo) may qualify for HIPC relief. The prospects for the remaining eight unsustainable countries are not good. Six—Burundi, Congo Republic, Liberia, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan—are still affected by conflict; Togo has governance problems; and Lao PDR is undecided as to whether to opt for HIPC relief. Angola, Kenya, Vietnam and Yemen already have sustainable debt burdens.

International Debt

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value was of payments made by the United Kingdom towards the HIPC Trust Fund to contribute towards multilateral debt relief for (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02.

Clare Short: The total UK pledge to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative Trust Fund, which is funded by the Department for International Development, is US$306 million, including our US$85 million share of the EC contribution. In 2000–01, DFID paid US$40 million to the HIPC Trust Fund, and in 2001–02 DFID paid US$33.7 million. The UK contribution is paid on an as-needed basis on request by the International Development Association (IDA), which is administering the Fund.

International Debt

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if she will list the multilateral institutions which received payments from the HIPC Trust Fund to cover their provision of debt relief broken down by (a) amount received and (b) country;
	(2)  which countries had financial assistance from a multilateral debt fund in the financial years (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02; and how much they received.

Clare Short: The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative Trust Fund makes payments to multilateral creditors to enable them to meet their shares of the costs of providing debt relief to eligible HIPC countries. The Trust Fund is administered by the International Development Association (IDA), which holds the details of information sought. I will write to the hon. Member with further information shortly.

International Debt

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the bilateral debt owed to the United Kingdom by each of the HIPC eligible countries (a) has been written off and (b) is outstanding, broken down by country.

Clare Short: The total outstanding bilateral debt owed to the UK by the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) is £1.529 billion; the amount written off is £0.703 billion. Most of this relates to old rescheduled debt owed to ECGD from the 1970s and 1980s; details are set out, by HIPC country, in table 1. The outstanding debt figure includes £53 million of aid loans which have already been cancelled but are still in DFID's accounts, as payments are written off as they become due; details are set out, by HIPC country, in table 2.
	The Government provide 100 per cent. relief on their bilateral debt to HIPC countries once they qualify for debt relief under the HIPC initiative.
	
		Table 1: Amount of ECGD debt outstanding and written-off to date for HIPCs -- £ million
		
			 HIPC country Amount of debt outstanding Amount of debt written-off 
		
		
			 Angola 131.0 — 
			 Benin(2) 2.6 5.9 
			 Bolivia(2) — 53.2 
			 Burkina Faso(2) 1.1 1.1 
			 Cameroon(2) 50.9 38.0 
			 Central African Republic 0.4 0.3 
			 Congo 149.0 — 
			 Cote D'Ivoire 33.2 6.5 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 165.0 — 
			 Ethiopi(2) 12.6 5.1 
			 Ghana(2),(3) 150.0 — 
			 Guinea Republic(2) 3.7 1.3 
			 Guyana(2) 33.0 90.0 
			 Kenya 44.3 — 
			 Liberia 18.0 — 
			 Madagascar(2) 25.0 3.6 
			 Malawi(2) 0.4 0.3 
			 Mali(2) 3.0 8.9 
			 Mauritania(2) 5.9 3.0 
			 Mozambique(2) — 105.6 
			 Nicaragua(2) 1.1 1.1 
			 Niger(2) 9.5 5.3 
			 Senegal(2) 1.5 1.9 
			 Sierra Leone(2) 5.0 0.6 
			 Somalia 29.0 — 
			 Sudan 361.4 — 
			 Tanzania(2) — 232.1 
			 Togo 15.7 4.5 
			 Uganda(2) — 23.5 
			 Vietnam 8.9 12.0 
			 Yemen(2) 2.3 6.4 
			 Zambia(2) 212.0 84.3 
			  
			 Total 1,475.5 694.5 
		
	
	(2) Have now passed Decision Point.
	(3) The amount shown is ECGD's exposure some of which shall shortly be restructured/reduced.
	Note:
	Total amount outstanding column includes principal outstanding together with any arrears of interest.
	
		Table 2: Amount of aid loans outstanding and written-off for HIPC countries -- £
		
			 Country Balance at 1 April 2001 Written off 2001–02 Balance at 1 April 2002 
		
		
			 Angola 0 0 0 
			 Benin, People's Republic 0 0 0 
			 Burkina Faso 0 0 0 
			 Burundi 0 0 0 
			 Cameroon 0 0 0 
			 Central African Republic 0 0 0 
			 Chad 0 0 0 
			 Congo, People's Republic 0 0 0 
			 Ethiopia 0 0 0 
			 Ghana 6,071,475 1,667,600 4,403,875 
			 Guinea 0 0 0 
			 Guinea-Bissau 0 0 0 
			 Cote d'Ivoire 1,684,482 213,126 1,471,356 
			 Kenya 0 0 0 
			 Liberia 0 0 0 
			 Madagascar 0 0 0 
			 Malawi 96,000 76,000 20,000 
			 Mali 0 0 0 
			 Mauritania 0 0 0 
			 Mozambique 907,704 695,721 211,983 
			 Niger 0 0 0 
			 Rwanda 0 0 0 
			 Sao Tome and Principe 0 0 0 
			 Senegal 160,330 56,000 104,330 
			 Sierra Leone 0 0 0 
			 Somali Democratic Republic 0 0 0 
			 Sudan 0 0 0 
			 Tanzania 0 0 0 
			 Togo 0 0 0 
			 Uganda 0 0 0 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic 0 0 0 
			 Zambia 28,210,920 2,549,200 25,661,720 
			 Bolivia 0 0 0 
			 Guyanas 23,690,803 3,374,420 20,316,383 
			 Honduras 1,164,476 324,476 840,000 
			 Nicaragua 398,200 0 398,200 
			 Burma 0 0 0 
			 Laos 0 0 0 
			 Vietnam 0 0 0 
			 Yemen, Republic of(4) 0 0 0 
			 Yemen, People's Democratic Republic 0 0 0 
			 Myanmar 0 0 0 
			 Vietnam—Hanoi 0 0 0 
			 Vietnam—Ho Chi Minh City 0 0 0 
			  
			 Total 62,384,390 8,956,543 53,427,847 
		
	
	(4) YAR to May 1990

Health Aid Budgets

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the proposals to increase health aid budgets contained in the World Health Organisation's report by the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, published on 20 December; and what role her Department has played in the report's distribution in the United Kingdom and in British overseas territories and embassies.

Clare Short: We welcome the broad messages of the Commission for Macroeconomics (CMH) report. It has provided clear evidence that investing in health is far more important for economic development and wider poverty reduction than was previously understood, and we embrace the call for extra resources from both donors and developing countries.
	I hosted the worldwide launch of the CMH report at the Department for International Development headquarters in December. Later this month I shall be opening a conference (organised and part funded by my Department) to disseminate the messages of the report to the global audience and plan how to take these findings forward.

Poverty

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made toward the 2015 targets for reducing poverty.

Clare Short: Latest forecasts from the World Bank suggest that globally, meeting the 2015 target of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty is attainable. There has been progress. During the 1990s, the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day in the developing world fell from 29 per cent. in 1990, to 23 per cent. in 1999. This was mainly due to the substantial progress made during the 1990s in east Asia, and in particular China.
	In the developing world, progress has also been made during the 1990s against almost all the other 2015 Millennium Development targets. The proportion of children completing a full course of primary school increased from 68 per cent. to 73 per cent.; the under-five mortality rate decreased from 88 to 84 deaths per 1,000 births; and the proportion of people with access to an improved water source increased from 73 per cent. to 79 per cent.
	However, to meet all of the 2015 targets progress must be improved. The sub-Saharan African region presents the biggest challenge to meeting the 2015 targets. We need an enormous effort internationally to accelerate progress in Africa. My Department is dedicated to do all in its power to accelerate progress towards the targets.
	A detailed description of progress towards all the 2015 targets is contained in a recent World bank publication: World Development Indicators 2002, which can be found at the following website: http://www.worldbank.org/ata/ wdi2002/worldview.pdf.

St. Helena

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the representatives of the island of St. Helena on assisting with financial provision for providing an airport on St. Helena.

Clare Short: A St. Helena Government team visited the UK in February 2002 to take forward discussions on air access for the island with my officials. The team reported on these discussions to the St. Helena Government at the beginning of April. Further discussions on the issue of air access will take place over the coming months.

Donations (Tax Relief)

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what role her Department will play in deciding whether tax relief on donations of medical supplies and equipment to developing countries announced in the Budget is supportive of recipient countries health strategies;
	(2)  what role her Department will play in the interpretation of "humanitarian" in relation to tax relief on the responsible donation of medical supplies and equipment to developing countries announced in the Budget.

Clare Short: My Department has been working closely with HM Treasury, Inland Revenue and other Departments on a range of measures to improve access to medicines for the developing world, including tax relief on donations of medical supplies.
	The tax measure is intended to be supportive of health strategies in developing countries. The Inland Revenue will be issuing guidance to its tax inspectors on interpreting what constitutes a donation for "humanitarian purposes". The Inland Revenue guidance will include appropriate reference to elements of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines.
	The WHO guidelines clearly set out that drug donations should: constitute a sustainable contribution to government health strategies in developing countries; be based on need and relevant to the disease pattern of recipient countries; have at least one year remaining shelf life; be of a quality which complies with the standards of donor and recipient countries; and only provided after consultation and at the request of the recipient.

Chechnya

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Chechnya; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We closely monitor the situation in the North Caucasus, both from our desk in London and through regular visits to Moscow.
	According to research by the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) food, clothing and shelter are the priority needs for internally displaced people(IDPs) and vulnerable persons in Chechnya. Water supply, reconstruction and education are also seen as important areas of need.
	We continue to work with UN agencies and international NGOs to improve assessment of humanitarian needs and evaluation of impact. This includes funding through the UN Office of the Security Co-ordinator (UNSECOORD) and the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) (including part funding of a senior humanitarian specialist) in support of strengthened co-ordination and security for humanitarian agencies working in the North Caucasus, including Chechnya.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) investments were held and (b) new investments were made by the CDC in (i) South Asia, (ii) Sub-Saharan Africa, (iii) countries defined by the CDC as poorer and (iv) in total in (A) 1998, (B) 1999, (C) 2000 and (D) 2001, broken down by country.

Clare Short: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Country Poorer (yes/no) 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			  (a) Number of investments held   
			 South Asia — 85 75 71 71 
			 Sub-Saharan Africa — 177 176 149 136 
			 Poorer — 338 329 295 268 
			 Total — 418 407 374 349 
			   
			 Bangladesh y 6 7 7 7 
			 India y 44 35 30 30 
			 Sri Lanka y 8 7 7 9 
			 Pakistan y 26 25 24 22 
			 Other South Asia y 1 1 3 3 
			 Total South Asia — 85 75 71 71 
			   
			 Botswana n 6 5 2 1 
			 Cameroon y 4 4 1 1 
			 Cote D'Ivoire y 8 9 5 5 
			 Esca Regional Fund (South Africa) y 1 1 1 1 
			 Gambia y 1 1 1 1 
			 Ghana y 16 16 14 11 
			 Kenya y 18 18 16 15 
			 Lesotho y 3 3 2 2 
			 Liberia y 4 4 5 5 
			 Malawi y 11 8 7 3 
			 Mauritius n 7 3 5 5 
			 Mozambique y 7 7 6 6 
			 Namibia n 2 2 2 2 
			 Nigeria y 3 3 4 4 
			 Seychelles n 2 2 0 0 
			 Sierra Leone y 3 3 3 2 
			 South Africa n 9 14 14 20 
			 Sudan y 1 1 1 1 
			 Swaziland y 12 11 10 8 
			 Tanzania y 15 17 15 14 
			 Uganda y 11 10 8 6 
			 Zambia y 15 16 16 13 
			 Zimbabwe y 16 15 9 7 
			 Other y 2 3 2 3 
			 Total Sub-Saharan Africa — 177 176 149 136 
			   
			 Argentina n 0 0 2 2 
			 Barbados n 1 2 2 2 
			 Belize n 5 5 6 4 
			 Bolivia y 4 4 5 4 
			 British Virgin Islands n 1 2 4 4 
			 Cayman Islands n 1 0 0 0 
			 Costa Rica n 17 15 15 15 
			 Cuba y 2 3 3 3 
			 Dominica n 2 2 2 2 
			 Dominican Republic y 8 9 11 11 
			 Ecuador y 6 7 5 4 
			 El Salvador y 1 1 2 1 
			 Grenada n 1 1 1 1 
			 Guatemala y 3 4 5 3 
			 Guyana y 6 6 8 8 
			 Honduras y 9 9 7 6 
			 Jamaica y 10 9 6 5 
			 Mexico n 0 0 1 1 
			 Nicaragua y 4 5 5 4 
			 Peru n 0 1 2 3 
			 St. Lucia n 1 1 1 1 
			 Trinidad and Tobago n 3 2 1 1 
			 Other—Americas y 1 0 0 1 
			   
			 China y 0 0 3 4 
			 Fiji n 4 4 2 0 
			 Indonesia y 18 19 13 12 
			 Laos y 1 1 1 1 
			 Malaysia n 4 4 3 3 
			 Mauritius n 0 0 0 1 
			 Papua New Guinea y 12 11 11 9 
			 Philippines y 10 8 9 10 
			 Singapore n 0 0 1 0 
			 Solomon Islands y 4 4 3 3 
			 Thailand n 13 13 12 11 
			 Vanuatu y 2 2 2 2 
			 Vietnam y 2 2 1 1 
			 Other—Asia Pacific n 0 0 1 1 
			   
			  (b) Number of new investments   
			 South Asia — 10 4 7 8 
			 Sub-Saharan Africa — 51 43 32 31 
			 Poorer — 73 60 60 40 
			 Total — 96 90 86 63 
			   
			 Bangladesh y 0 1 1 2 
			 India y 6 3 3 2 
			 Sri Lanka y 2 0 2 3 
			 Pakistan y 1 0 1 1 
			 Other South Asia y 1 0 0 0 
			 Total South Asia — 10 4 7 8 
			   
			 Malawi y 4 4 1 0 
			 Mozambique y 3 2 1 0 
			 Zambia y 3 3 2 1 
			 Zimbabwe y 4 3 1 1 
			 Kenya y 5 4 4 3 
			 Esca Regional Fund (South Africa) y 1 0 0 0 
			 Mauritius n 1 0 1 2 
			 Tanzania y 11 6 9 5 
			 Uganda y 5 2 1 1 
			 Swaziland y 2 3 2 2 
			 South Africa n 8 9 5 13 
			 Cote D'Ivoire y 1 2 2 0 
			 Ghana y 2 5 2 2 
			 Nigeria y 0 0 1 1 
			 Sierra Leone y 1 0 0 0 
			 Total Sub-Saharan Africa — 51 43 32 31 
			   
			 Papua New Guinea y 3 2 2 2 
			 Solomon Islands y 1 0 0 1 
			 Barbados n 0 4 1 1 
			 British Virgin Islands n 0 1 4 2 
			 Cayman Islands n 0 0 1 0 
			 Cuba y 2 3 0 0 
			 Dominica n 1 3 0 0 
			 Guyana y 0 1 1 1 
			 Jamaica y 1 1 1 0 
			 St. Lucia n 1 0 0 0 
			 Argentina n 0 0 2 1 
			 Belize n 3 5 2 1 
			 Bolivia y 3 2 2 1 
			 Costa Rica n 7 7 6 2 
			 Dominican Republic y 4 1 6 2 
			 Ecuador y 1 1 0 0 
			 El Salvador y 0 1 1 1 
			 Guatemala y 0 1 1 1 
			 Honduras y 1 0 0 0 
			 Peru n 0 1 1 1 
			 Latin America y 0 0 0 1 
			 Mexico n 0 0 1 0 
			 Nicaragua y 1 2 0 0 
			 Asia Pacific y 0 0 1 0 
			 China y 0 0 3 2 
			 Indonesia y 0 4 6 2 
			 Malaysia n 0 0 0 0 
			 Laos y 1 0 1 0 
			 Philippines y 2 3 2 2 
			 Singapore n 0 0 1 0 
			 Thailand n 2 0 1 0 
			 Vietnam y 1 0 0 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers of individual investments do not reflect benefits to poorer developing countries overall.

Poland

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Rural Development Project in Poland.

Clare Short: This project was formally reviewed in June 2001 and has been monitored on a regular basis since then. It is an institutional building project focused at national and local government levels, NGOs and civil society. The project is assisting the Polish authorities in changing the way regional planning is implemented in line with good EU practice by the instruction of a more participative and bottom-up approach to decision-making processes.
	DFID assessments have shown that the project is providing value for money in terms of its impact on (i) the progress being made in the Lubelski voivodship in building local capacity and networks and (ii) links being made into the national policy debate to inform regional policy in preparation for Poland's accession to the EU and its future effective use of structural funds.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Local Authority Capital Receipts

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the proposed changes in the rules relating to the use of right to buy receipts; from when the new rules will operate; what changes are envisaged for debt-free authorities; for what reason debt-free authorities will be required to set aside a percentage of prior receipts in future; what the percentage will be; how this money will be redistributed to other authorities; under what statement these changes will be introduced; whether it is Government policy to match exactly the higher allocations to support general borrowing as a result of the ending of the authorities' ability to finance expenditure from receipts; which authorities he estimates will be affected, and how much will be redistributed in each case; what consultation he will undertake before introducing this change; and if he will publish the results of the consultation.

Sally Keeble: The local government White Paper—"Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services"—set out our intention to pool a proportion of housing capital receipts arising in debt free authorities to finance new housing investment in areas where it is most needed. The change will put the treatment of housing capital receipts in debt free authorities on an equal footing with their treatment in other authorities. It also removes a real disincentive to authorities to take up the new borrowing freedoms planned as part of the simplification of the local authority capital finance system described in the White Paper.
	The change will be introduced alongside the wider changes to the local authority capital finance system which require primary legislation; the timing of this is still to be decided. The detailed arrangements for pooling, including the proportion of receipts to be pooled, and the allocation of resources from the pool are currently being considered. The new arrangements will not apply to receipts already realised. We will be consulting on detailed proposals and will report on the outcome of the consultation.
	The number of authorities that will be affected by the change will depend on what happens to debt levels and on housing stock transfers between now and the introduction of the pooling arrangement. A list of the authorities that were debt free at 1 April 2001 was given in reply to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 9 April 2001, Official Report, columns 330–32W. Housing capital receipts are mainly generated from the sale of dwellings and around 30 of these authorities own council housing. The amount of additional resources for allocation from the pool to fund new housing investment will depend on the proportion of receipts to be pooled and future levels or receipts for debt free authorities.

Planning Policy

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will publish a report on the progress on adoption of area-wide local plans and unitary development plans.

Sally Keeble: The report on the progress on the adoption of area wide local plans and unitary development plans is published today and details the progress made by local authorities in England in preparing and reviewing their development plans.
	Although it was considered that the publication of the planning Green Paper would raise uncertainties in respect of local authorities preparing plans, this report gives a clear indication that local authorities are continuing with development plan work. We have yet to achieve 100 per cent. national coverage and there are still 13 per cent. of LPAs who have not produced an adopted development plan. The continuing delays in adopting local plans and, subsequently, altering or replacing those plans adds weight to the recommendations in the planning Green Paper on the need for reform of the planning system to introduce faster and more flexible arrangements.

Planning Policy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which proposals in the planning Green Paper would require (a) primary legislation and (b) secondary legislation to be implemented.

Stephen Byers: A number of the proposals will require changes to primary legislation. Among them the proposals to abolish structure plans, local plans and unitary development plans and replace them with the new Local Development Framework, and introducing statutory Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) to replace Regional Planning Guidance. Powers would need to be introduced for major infrastructure projects to be referred to Parliament and any changes to the current system of planning obligations. A number of development control measures such as putting funding for planning aid on a statutory basis and introducing a planning checklist are likely to require primary legislation. While some legislative amendment may be required for the introduction of business planning zones.
	Many of the changes in the Green Paper can be made by secondary legislation. In particular those development control measures designed to speed up and made the process more transparent such as the proposals to enable electronic submission of planning applications and appeals, and the requirement on local authorities to make copies of plans and planning applications publicly available at low or no cost. A number of the proposals will requires amendments to be made to the General Development Procedure Order.

Planning Policy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Court of Appeal decision in Newport BC v. Secretary of State for Wales on the application of PPG8.

Stephen Byers: Our revised Planning Policy Guidance Note 8, 'Telecommunications' takes account of this decision and makes reference to it.

Planning Policy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether the appointment of consultants to advise on the responses to the Planning Green Paper was subject to a competitive tendering process; when expressions of interest were invited; and how many firms tendered.

Stephen Byers: Smith and Williamson were appointed under a framework agreement under which each work assignment commissioned forms a contract in its own right (in accordance with the terms and conditions of the overarching framework). The framework was let following a competitive tender exercise conducted under the EC Restricted procedure, i. e. service requirement advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities, Expressions of Internet (EOIs) invited from potential suppliers, EOIs sifted to select those to be invited to tender.
	The framework was awarded on 31 October 1997 and ends on 31 October 2002. It is being retendered.

Planning Policy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will publish a Planning White Paper.

Stephen Byers: The Government intend to make a Policy Statement before the summer parliamentary recess.

Planning Policy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which consultants were appointed to analyse the responses to the Planning Green Paper; and what are (a) their terms of reference and (b) the timetable for completion of their work.

Stephen Byers: The Department appointed Smith and Williamson management consultants on 5 December 2001. The consultants were appointed to analyse and data process standard responses to the Green Paper. They were asked to produce quantitative data on the overall response and by respondent type. Smith and Williamson delivered their findings on 29 April.

Planning Policy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the proposals in his Planning Green Paper.

Stephen Byers: Following the coming into force of the Human Rights Act, all government policy and legislation needs to be considered for its compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. Should any of the proposals in the Green Paper result in primary legislation, the Ministers responsible will make a statement as to the compatibility of the relevant provisions to both Houses.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many planning applications for mobile phone masts have been determined under delegated authority in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Stephen Byers: The Department does not collect such information.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent discussions his Department has had with telecom operators on the shared use of mobile phone masts.

Stephen Byers: The Government's policy is to encourage mast and site sharing where that is the optimum environmental solution in a particular case. Planning Policy Guidance Note 8, "Telecommunications" provides guidance on this.
	The Department is currently drawing up, in partnership with representatives of the mobile phone operators and local government, a revised Code of Best Practice, which will include advice and best practice on siting and design of mobile phone mast development. In drawing up the advice, mast sharing has been discussed. I expect the revised Code of Best Practice to include advice and best practice about mast sharing.

Local Public Service Agreements

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for what reasons district councils are not directly involved in local public service agreements; and what plans he has to extend them to district councils.

Alan Whitehead: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Mrs. Brooke) on 29 April 2002, Official Report, column 557W.

Flood-risk Housing

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many houses (a) have been built in areas deemed as high risk of flooding in each year since 1997 and (b) are planned in such areas.

Sally Keeble: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Sayeed) on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 294–95W. The most recent land-use change statistics will be published shortly.

Assisted Living Units

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many assisted living units per local authority there were in England in each of the last five years.

Sally Keeble: Prior to the introduction of the Supporting People programme most local authorities were not involved in the practice of mapping supply of assisted living units in their area. It is therefore not possible to provide the information you require. However following the 'supply mapping' deadline for the Supporting People programme, which is the end of May 2002, an accurate picture of the number of units per local authority should be available.

Social Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to issue guidance to commissioning bodies under the Supporting People scheme on partnerships with social services.

Sally Keeble: Commissioning Bodies are a partnership of housing, social services, probation and health who will together plan the Supporting People strategy for their local areas. Comprehensive guidance was published in October 2001. It can be found on the website www.spkweb.org.uk under Emerging Policy.

British Red Cross

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what financial support his Department has given since 1 April 2000 to projects in the UK run by the British Red Cross.

Alan Whitehead: Since 1 April 2000 an examination of accounting records has revealed that DTLR(C) has made no contributions to the state funding of the British Red Cross or to projects run by the British Red Cross.

Public Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure that district authorities have the flexibility to fund and deliver high quality public services to local people.

Alan Whitehead: The Local Government White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services", published December 2001, sets out our broad vision for local government. The White Paper contains our commitments to provide local authorities with wider powers and increased financial flexibility, and for Government to decrease unnecessary control over authorities to assist with the delivery of improved public services and better community leadership.

Public Transport Workers (Assaults)

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assistance is given to public transport workers who are assaulted at work.

Sally Keeble: The Department is very concerned about the number of public transport workers who are assaulted at work. The Department is raising awareness and addressing the issue through research programmes and good practice guidance for public transport operators.
	Work-related violence is a health and safety issue, and employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect their staff from the risk of violence in the course of their work. The specific assistance given to public transport workers who are assaulted at work is a matter for the individual transport operator. For example, London Underground staff receive support from their managers in the form of sympathetic treatment, home visits, hospital visits (if applicable), gradual reintroduction to the work place (including move of location if appropriate), assistance in legal proceedings (support at court) and assistance with CICA claims. They may also receive support from in-house Employee Assistance.

Rail Safety

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on the installation of a train protection system; if he will make a statement on the recent report from the Commission for Integrated Transport on this subject; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Railway Safety Regulations 1999 require automatic train protection (ATP), where reasonably practical, or otherwise the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS), to be fitted on all trains and throughout the network by the end of 2003. The rail industry estimates that TPWS should mitigate over 80 per cent. of ATP-preventable risk. Mandatory common technical specifications (TSIs) developed under the European rail interoperability directives 96/48/EC and 2001/16/EC will mean that a European form of ATP, known as the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), should be fitted to all high speed and many conventional rail lines in Great Britain when they are constructed, upgraded or (conventional lines only) renewed.
	The public inquiry report into train protection systems, chaired by Professor Uff and Lord Cullen, recommended that ERTMS be adopted as the standard form of train protection in this country. On 25 April the rail industry published a report setting out what it considered a feasible timetable for fitting ERTMS to Britain's railways. I have asked the Health and Safety Commission, as the independent rail safety regulator, to review the industry report. They will want to have a constructive debate on all the issues raised including costs and timing before they report back to me with formal recommendations. I look forward to receiving the Health and Safety Commission's recommendations and then deciding the best way forward.
	The report from the Commission for Integrated Transport argued that level 1 of ERTMS would reduce capacity on high speed, high capacity lines, causing travellers to switch to roads, with a much worse safety record than rail, leading to more fatalities overall. The industry report on ERTMS makes a similar point. I would expect the HSC to consider these points when reviewing the report and making their recommendations.

Rail Freight

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  when the contracts resulting from the SRA's freight innovation competition were signed with (a) Blue Circle industries, (b) Exel and (c) Minimodal;
	(2)  when the contracts signed by (a) Blue Circle Industries, (b) Exel and (c) Minimodal have been renegotiated; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the results were of the mechanical engineering checks that were carried out as part of the SRA's freight innovation competition;
	(4)  what the criteria were against which the entrants for the SRA's freight innovation competition were judged;
	(5)  if he will place in the Library the Heads of Agreement for the contracts signed by (a) Blue Circle Industries, (b) Exel and (c) Minimodal, following the SRA's freight innovation competition;
	(6)  on what date the winners of the SRA's freight innovation competition were announced;
	(7)  how much has been spent by (a) the Department, (b) the SRA and (c) other Government bodies as part of the SRA's freight innovation competition.

Stephen Byers: The winners of the Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA's) freight innovation competition were announced on 13 June 2000. The contracts were signed on 26 January 2001 in all three cases and none of these contracts have been renegotiated. The terms of the contracts are commercially confidential and could not be disclosed without the agreement of all parties to the contracts. The Authority selected projects submitted which scored highest against the published criteria and these were audited by a consultant to assess their deliverability in all areas including vehicle acceptance and operational issues prior to selection. The guidance notes for applicants, which include the criteria used to judge the competition, have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Up to the end of the year 2001–02 the SRA, which is wholly responsible for financing the competition, has spent £4.52 million as a result of it.

Rail Freight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 29 April 2002, Official Report, column 569W, what contractual arrangements exist for access to the network by rail freight operators.

David Jamieson: Freight train operators need to hold access contracts with Railtrack. These are subject to approval by the Rail Regulator in accordance with the provisions in sections 17 to 22c of the Railways Act 1993 (as amended by the Transport Act 2000).

Deep Sea Ports

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the average cost to hauliers to transfer freight onto (a) the rail network and (b) the road network at deep sea ports in the United Kingdom.

Stephen Byers: The charges are a confidential contractual matter between the port and its customers.

Road Signs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on the use of kilometres on road distance indicator signs in the UK.

Sally Keeble: The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 1994 do not permit the use of kilometres on directional or road works signs, or on distance plates used with regulatory or warning signs.

Fuel-cell Powered Vehicles

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to support the development of a hydrogen infrastructure for fuel-cell powered vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The draft of the Government's "Powering Future Vehicles" strategy for encouraging the shift to low-carbon vehicles and fuels highlighted the Government's role of supporting the development of new fuel infrastructures. Hydrogen is likely to be a key component in this shift to low-carbon transport.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget announced that the Government intended to exempt hydrogen from fuel duty for a period to encourage it's development and early take-up. He also announced his intention to provide enhanced capital allowances for hydrogen infrastructure. The Government are also providing fiscal support for the pilot trials of fuel-cell buses to be carried out next year by Transport for London, which will include a hydrogen refuelling facility.

Vehicle Registration Documents

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the average time taken to replace lost vehicle registration documents was in the last 12 months.

David Jamieson: For the year 2001–02 in respect of registration documents issued in response to customers notifying changes to their own or the vehicle's details, the agency processed 95 per cent. of all transactions within 8.4 days.

A1 (Newark)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  when he expects the carriageway repairs on the A1 south of Newark to be completed;
	(2)  what reasons the carriageway repair work being carried out on the A1 south of Newark is not being carried out on a 24 hour basis.

John Spellar: The carriageway repairs on the A1 south of Newark finished on 29 April 2002, six days earlier than originally expected. Before they began, the Highways Agency consulted Kesteven district council and it was agreed that work would not be done overnight to avoid causing disturbance to nearby residential properties.
	Drivers will now benefit from a smoother, quieter ride and the residents of Long Bennington will notice a marked decrease in noise.

Vehicle Ownership

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many households with (a) one and (b) more than one vehicle there were in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the north-west, (iv) England and (v) Great Britain in (A) 1990, (B) 1995, (C) 1997, (D) 1998, (E) 1999, (F) 2000 and (G) 2001.

David Jamieson: Information for St. Helens and Merseyside are only available from the 1991 Census. This is shown in Table 1 together with corresponding data for the north-west Standard Statistical Region (SSR) (comprising Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside), England and Great Britain. 2001 Census data will be available in 2003.
	
		Table 1: Number of households—1991 -- Thousand
		
			  No cars One car Two or more cars All households 
		
		
			 St. Helens 25 30 14 69 
			 Merseyside 248 217 86 551 
			 North-west SSR 935 1,031 501 2,467 
			 England 6,080 8,201 4,485 18,766 
			 Great Britain 7,314 9,525 5,058 21,897 
		
	
	Estimates for the north-west, England and Great Britain for other years are shown in Table 2. Data for the north-west relate to the SSR for 1990 and 1995 and to the Government office region (i.e. north-west SSR less Cumbria) for subsequent years. Data for 2001 will be available in autumn 2002.
	
		Table 2: Number of households -- Thousand
		
			  No cars One car Two or more cars All households 
		
		
			 North-west 
			 1990 941 1,096 467 2,504 
			 1995 889 1,160 549 2,598 
			 1997 871 1,256 699 2,826 
			 1998 905 1,246 691 2,842 
			 1999 855 1,265 732 2,852 
			 2000 867 1,295 711 2,874 
			 England 
			 1990 6,114 8,460 4,446 19,020 
			 1995 5,939 9,074 5,019 20,032 
			 1997 5,955 9,042 5,367 20,364 
			 1998 5,594 9,174 5,772 20,540 
			 1999 5,840 9,208 5,695 20,743 
			 2000 5,577 9,419 5,884 20,972 
			 Great Britain 
			 1990 7,314 9,827 4,999 22,140 
			 1995 7,080 10,556 5,679 23,315 
			 1997 7,081 10,567 6,046 23,694 
			 1998 6,651 10,621 6,623 23,896 
			 1999 6,862 10,699 6,559 24,120 
			 2000 6,588 10,947 6,839 24,374

Airport Capacity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had regarding a new airport in the Thames estuary area; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Following press speculation in March about the potential location of a new airport on the Hoo peninsula in Kent my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport agreed to meet a group of local MPs and, separately, the leader of Kent county council. At these meetings he explained that the press articles were speculative and was able to confirm the approach we have taken to identifying and narrowing down options in the south-east airports study.
	We hope to publish the public consultation on the shortlisted options next month.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the composition is of the Aviation Working Group looking into deep vein thrombosis; and when it will report.

David Jamieson: The permanent members of the Aviation Health Working Group are the Department for Transport Local Government and the Regions (chair), the Department of Health, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Health and Safety Executive. Representatives from the aviation industry and consumer groups and other interested parties such as medical specialists are invited to participate in selected meetings.
	The Aviation Health Working Group was established to advise Ministers on all issues relating to aviation health. This includes, but is not confined to, deep vein thrombosis. The group oversaw the publication of advice on travel-related deep vein thrombosis in November 2001, and is the focal point for the UK's support of the World Health Organisation's research programme into possible links between air travel and deep vein thrombosis. There are no plans for the group to report separately on deep vein thrombosis.

Flight BA 2069

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made in reviewing the circumstances of the incident on board flight BA 2069 on 29 December.

John Spellar: The Civil Aviation Authority has reported to me on the outcome of its review of the incident on 29 December 2000 and I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses a report of the Authority's findings. I am satisfied that the security and safety lessons from the incident for the travelling public have already been fully taken into account in the actions taken since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.

TREASURY

Part-time Workers (Pensions)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implementation of ECJ decisions concerning the eligibility of part-time public service employees to participate in their public service pension scheme.

Andrew Smith: Public service employers will implement in full the European Court of Justice ruling concerning the right of part-time public service employees to gain retrospective access to their pension scheme. All part-timers have had the right to join their occupational pension scheme since 1995, and in many public service schemes from an earlier date. The current ruling on the Preston case concerns the treatment of part-timers' service prior to 1995 (or the relevant date of full admission). The Employment Tribunals are currently considering a number of issues, which will determine the eligibility of part-timers and their entitlements under the ECJ ruling.

Financial Services Authority (Registration)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms of (a) solicitors and (b) chartered accountants in (i) Scotland and (ii) England and Wales were registered with the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of investment business under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 in (A) 2001 and (B) April 2002.

Ruth Kelly: The transition to the new regime for professional firms established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) for regulation of professional firms lasted until mid-December 2001. During the transition from the regime established under the Financial Services Act 1986 (FS Act) firms could opt for direct regulation by the FSA if they conducted "mainstream" investment business or opt for oversight by their professional body if their investment business was incidental to their professional services.
	At 31 March 2001 the number of these professional firms certified by their recognised professional bodies under the FS Act was as follows:
	The Law Society (ie England and Wales)—6,646
	The Law Society of Scotland—525
	The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales—4,718
	The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland—397.
	The number of these professional firms currently regulated by the FSA is as follows:
	The Law Society (ie England and Wales)—361
	The Law Society of Scotland—151
	The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales—660
	The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland—55.

Young People

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what subjects and on which dates his Department has consulted organisations representing young people; and if he will list such organisations.

Ruth Kelly: This information is not held centrally in the form requested and would be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Treasury is committed to the new core principles for the involvement of children and young people published by the Minister for Young People in November 2001. The Treasury will shortly be publishing an action plan setting out for the first time how it will implement these principles to extend the participation of children and young people in the design, provision and evaluation of policies and services that affect them.

Milk

Peter Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the UK's current balance of trade in (a) milk and (b) milk products.

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
	According to information compiled by HM Customs and Excise, in 2001 the UK had a crude trade surplus worth £170 million in milk and a crude trade deficit of £799 million in milk products. Milk products include yoghurt, buttermilk, ice cream, whey, butter, cheese and curds.
	UK exports are valued at the cost of goods whereas imports also include the costs of freight and insurance. The difference between exports and imports is referred to as a "crude" trade balance to reflect this difference in valuation.

BCCI

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much money the Bank of England has spent on legal fees to date in defence of the proceedings against it by the liquidators of BCCI SA;
	(2)  if he will estimate the legal costs of the Bank of England defending the proceeds brought by BCC1 SA, up to and including trial and subsequent appeals.

Ruth Kelly: These are questions for the Bank of England, not the Treasury.

United Kingdom GDP

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the contribution made by immigrants to United Kingdom GDP since 1972; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: There are no direct statistics on the proportion of UK GDP accounted for by immigrants, and the data required to produce indirect estimates do not extend back to 1972. However, in 2001 foreign-born people accounted for around 8 per cent. of total UK employment, and the average gross weekly pay of foreign-born employees was about 16 per cent. above the average for all employees. On this basis, and assuming that relative wage rates proxy relative labour productivity, it can be estimated that the foreign-born population accounted for around 10 per cent. of UK GDP in 2001.

Community Development Venture Capital Fund

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Department will be administering the new Community Development Venture Capital Fund announced in the Budget; who the intended recipients of this fund are; what guidelines have been drawn up for those wishing to bid for this fund; and if he will place a copy of these guidelines in the Library.

Ruth Kelly: The Community Development Venture Fund is a private sector venture capital fund in which the Government is investing. The fund will be run by a professional team of venture capital fund managers working for Bridges Community Ventures Limited. The fund will be able to invest in eligible businesses in deprived communities in England, defined as the most deprived 25 per cent. of wards according to the DTLR's Index of Multiple Deprivation. The criteria for eligibility will be published by Bridges Community Ventures Limited under the terms agreed between them and the Small Business Service.

Terrorist Finance

Ross Cranston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he will take to implement Recommendation VII (information whose originator to be included in funds transfer messages) of the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations on Terrorist Financing.

Ruth Kelly: The Government will shortly publish a consultation document on this issue.

Employment Statistics

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) men aged over 65 years and (b) women aged over 60 years are in full-time employment.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 7 May 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the numbers of men aged over 65 and women aged over 60 in full-time employment. (53879)
	The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimate for the three month period ending in February 2002 are 98,000 men aged 65 and over in full-time employment, and 152,000 women aged 60 and over in full-time employment. These estimates are not seasonally adjusted.

Minimum Wage

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) men and (b) women have benefited from the introduction of the national minimum wage.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 7 May 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of men and women who have benefited from the introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW). (53877)
	The table shows the number of jobs held by men and women which were paid below the NMW levels prevailing in the years 1998 to 2001.
	
		Number of UK jobs paid at less than National Minimum Wage rates -- 000s
		
			  Men Women 
		
		
			 Spring 1998(5) 420 1,100 
			 Spring 1999(6) 200 380 
			 Spring 2000(6) 100 200 
			 Spring 2001(7) 110 210 
		
	
	(5) Figures for spring 1998, before the NMW was introduced, are for the number of jobs paid at less than £3.00 per hour (aged 18–21) or £3.60 per hour (aged 22 and over).
	(6) NMW rates of £3.00 per hour (aged 18–21) or £3.60 per hour (aged 22 and over).
	(7) NMW rates of £3.20 per hour (aged 18–21) or £3.70 per hour (aged 22 and over).

Greater London (Migration)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of migration of people into the Greater London area from the rest of the UK was in the last three years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 7 May 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question on the level of migration into Greater London from the rest of the UK. (54188)
	The attached table shows the flow of inward, outward and net migration for Greater London during the last three years from 1998 to 2000.
	
		Number of people moving to and from the Greater London area from the rest of the UK during the years ending June 1998, 1999 and 2000 -- Thousand
		
			  In Out Net inflow 
		
		
			 1998 171.2 217.9 -46.7 
			 1999 163.2 218.4 -55.2 
			 2000 163.1 233.0 -69.9 
		
	
	Note:
	These data are mid-year estimates
	Source:
	Figures on migrants within the UK are derived from the re-registration of NHS patients

Departmental Policies

James Purnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact his Department's policies have had on the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: Stalybridge and Hyde, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken since 1997 to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment.
	Claimant count unemployment in the constituency, for example, has fallen by over 970, or 42 per cent. since May 1997.
	Macroeconomic stability is being complemented at the microeconomic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay for lower and middle income families, and to reduce child poverty. The Government are also committed to enabling all persons to share in the country's rising prosperity.
	To the end of January 2002, the new deal for 18 to 24-year-olds had helped 1,117 young people in the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency gain valuable skills and experience—620 (56 per cent.) of whom had moved into employment. The working families tax credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle-income families. In November 2001, 2,728 families in the constituency were benefiting from WFTC. 11,566 families in Stalybridge and Hyde are benefiting from increases in child benefit to £15.75 for the first child and £10.55 for subsequent children.
	As a result of the 2001 pre-Budget report, all pensioners, including 14,600 in Stalybridge and Hyde, will receive at least a rise of £100 for single pensioners and £160 for couples each year from April 2003. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000—including around 6,400 in Stalybridge and Hyde. 3,500 pensioners are also benefiting from the minimum income guarantee being increased in line with earnings for the rest of this Parliament. 15,700 pensioners in Stalybridge are benefiting from £200 a year winter fuel payments for the rest of this Parliament.
	These data are all available in the Library of the House of Commons.

Advertising

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case.

Ruth Kelly: The information is set out in the table, which has been placed in the Library.

VAT Schemes

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses participate in the VAT Annual Accounting Scheme; what his estimate is of the total number of businesses eligible to participate; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Since 1 April 2001, the VAT annual accounting scheme has been available to some 1 million businesses, but less than 10,000 have so far taken it up. In the consultation document "Easing the impact of VAT", the Government explained that "despite the administrative and cash flow benefits, take up of the scheme is currently very low" and set out plans to reform the scheme to encourage greater take-up. These reforms were introduced on 25 April and are expected to achieve a significant increase in take-up of the scheme.

VAT Schemes

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimates are of (a) the number of businesses eligible to participate and (b) the revenue that would be forgone in a full year, if the upper turnover limit on the proposed flat-rate VAT scheme were raised to (i) £200,000 and (ii) £250,000.

Paul Boateng: In the Budget, the Government announced that—from next April—the flat rate scheme will be available to 700,000 small businesses with turnovers up to £150,000. If the upper turnover limit of the flat-rate scheme was extended to £200,000 or £250,000, approximately 80,000 or 130,000 additional traders would respectively be eligible to join. The costs of such an extension would depend on the details of such proposals, including the rates applicable under the scheme.

VAT Schemes

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have participated in the farmers flat rate VAT scheme in each of the last three years; what his estimate is of the total number of businesses eligible to participate; if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: There were 807 businesses using the agricultural flat rate scheme in 1999, 994 in 2000 and 1,062 in 2001. All businesses whose non-farm income does not exceed the VAT registration threshold, and who supply goods, or goods and services (but not services alone), which qualify for inclusion in the scheme are eligible to join. No estimate has been made of how many businesses in total are eligible to participate in the scheme.

Budget (Responses)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters he has received (a) in favour of and (b) critical of his Budget.

Dawn Primarolo: Between 17 April and 1 May, HM Treasury received a total of 1,983 pieces of correspondence, many of which will have addressed Budget theme and announcements.

Fuel Smuggling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the origin was of the motor fuel seized by HM Customs and Excise in November 2001 on the M6; and how much fuel was seized.

Paul Boateng: HM Customs and Excise did not make any notable seizures of oil on the M6 during November 2001.

Fuel Smuggling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles, with what carrying capacity, have been seized by HM Customs for alleged smuggling motor transport fuels into Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Paul Boateng: Customs seizure records do not disaggregate between smuggling and other types of hydrocarbon oils fraud nor do they record the fuel carrying capacity of vehicles seized. However, the total number of vehicles seized in relation to oils fraud in Northern Ireland since 199899 are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Vehicles seized 
		
		
			 199899 39 
			 19992000 98 
			 200001 312 
		
	
	I regret that information for 199798 is not available. Northern Ireland vehicle seizure figures for the financial year 200102 are being collated and will be published in due course.

Fuel Smuggling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the origin was of the motor fuel seized by HM Customs and Excise in Basildon in February; and how much fuel was seized.

Paul Boateng: HM Customs and Excise broke up a laundering plant near Basildon, Essex in February 2002. They seized a total of 61,000 litres of unlaundered and laundered rebated gas oil (red diesel). The rebated gas oil (red diesel) which was being laundered was purchased on the UK mainland.
	It is not Customs general practice to comment publicly about the existence or nature of investigations of individuals or companies not yet accused of criminal offences. To do so could risk prejudicing any ongoing inquiries or future criminal proceedings.

Fuel Smuggling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to stop cross-border smuggling of motor transport fuels into Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Pre-Budget Report document 'Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud' which sets out the Government's action to date in Northern Ireland to tackle oils fraud and to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) on 23 April 2002, Official Report, column 126W.

Fuel Smuggling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings have been held between Ministers or their officials and their Irish counterparts since 1997 to discuss the smuggling of petroleum products into Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: UK Customs have long enjoyed good relations with their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland including the Revenue Commissioners and the Criminal Assets Bureau.
	UK and Republic of Ireland Ministers and officials have met regularly during this period to discuss a wide range of issues including oils fraud. Only last October I visited the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland and had a very productive meeting with the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners.

Fuel Smuggling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the evidence submitted to HM Customs and Excise by the fuel retail industry on the smuggling of motor fuel oils into Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Customs officials have met with representatives from the fuel retail industry on a regular basis and believe that a constructive dialogue has been established at both operational and strategic levels. Customs pay particular attention to evidence provided by the trade bodies in Northern Ireland in assessing the nature of the Northern Ireland oils fraud problems.

Tax Evasion

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Department has spent on encouraging members of the public to report tax evasion in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue puts considerable resource into tackling non-compliance but does not generally hold financial information in a way that allows them to isolate spending over the last 10 years solely and specifically on encouraging members of the public to report tax evasion.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to develop economic instruments which may be used to improve household energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The Government are considering ways in which economic instruments may be used to improve household energy efficiency, consistent with their objective of eliminating fuel poverty and not introducing new taxes on household energy. This work is being taken forward in the context of the Government's work to develop a White Paper on energy, following the publication of the Cabinet Office performance and innovation unit's report The Energy Review in February.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total cost to the Treasury (a) has been at the outset of its introduction and (b) is projected to be in the next three years of the enhanced capital allowances for investments in energy saving technologies introduced in April 2001;
	(2)  what the total cost to the Treasury (a) has been at the outset of its introduction and (b) is projected in the next three years of the enhanced capital allowances for investments in (i) heat pumps, (ii) radiant and warm air heaters, (iii) solar heaters, (iv) energy efficient refrigerator equipment, (v) compressor equipment and (vi) energy-saving technology investments in assets for leasing.

Paul Boateng: Actual costs of the enhanced capital allowances scheme introduced in April 2001 are not yet available. Estimates were published in the FSBR 2001, Appendix A2, p150. Estimates of the annual costs of extending the scheme to include the further energy-saving technologies from April 2002 are, from 200203, 5 million, 15 million, 20 million, with the majority of these costs attributed to refrigeration cabinets, heat pumps, and compressor equipment. These figures exclude the costs of extending the entire scheme to assets for leasing from April 2002: these are estimated to be, from 200203, 15 million, 20 million, 15 million. All costs are rounded to the nearest 5 million.

Energy Efficiency

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2002, Official Report, columns 12728W, if he will make a statement on (a) the management and (b) the funding of the targeted programme of support measures for business investing in energy-saving technologies and practices.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	(a) The Carbon Trust, an independent body grant funded by my Department and the devolved Administrations, will recycle climate change levy funds to industry through a range of programme activity designed to accelerate the take up of cost-effective low-carbon technologies and measures to the non-domestic sector.
	The Carbon Trust will shortly take over the management of the enhanced capital allowance scheme, which enables businesses to claim 100 per cent. first year capital allowances on investments in energy saving equipment.
	In addition, the Carbon Trust is developing a Low Carbon Innovation Programme that will support new and emerging low-carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust will also take over management of the non-domestic part of the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme, which provides energy-efficiency advice and information to organisations in the public and private sectors.
	(b) The Carbon Trust is funded by my Department and the devolved Administrations from recycled climate change levy receipts and the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme. This is expected to be up to 50 million a year for this year and next, subject to relevant parliamentary approvals.
	The enhanced capital allowance scheme is funded from recycled climate change levy receipts and is worth an estimated 200 million in its first two years (200102 and 200203), depending on take-up.

Vehicle Emissions

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of changes announced in Budget 2002 in relation to (a) fuel duty, (b) vehicle excise duty, (c) enhanced capital allowances relating to transport and (d) changes relating to income tax and NICs free mileage, on individual and total vehicle emissions; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The assessment of the impact on vehicle emissions of measures announced in Budget 2002 can be found in Table 7.2 of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report. The impacts of these measures are quantified where possible.

Local Government Finance

Martin Salter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much income tax would have to rise if all local government expenditure currently funded via council tax and business rates was transferred to income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: Projected receipts from business rates and council tax in 200203 are shown in Table C7 of the April 2002 Financial Statement and Budget report (HC 592). The direct effects of illustrative changes in income tax are given in table 4 of the Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs published in November 2001, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. This table will be updated in the statistics area of the Inland Revenue website on 31 May.

DEFENCE

Colchester Garrison

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the modifications to the Colchester Garrison are on schedule; if they have remained within his Department's estimated budget; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 9 April 2002
	Financial Close, originally planned for December 2000, is now planned for late 2004. This is due to a number of issues, including planning considerations and problems associated with necessary diversions of footpaths. Consequently the completion of construction work has also been delayed from 1st quarter 2004 to Autumn 2008. The financial impact of this delay is under review but I have every reasonable expectation that the project will remain within budget.
	Essential work in many areas of the Project Agreement is nearly complete. We are now in the process of negotiating a risk and cost sharing plan to take the project forward, to ensure that these new timescales are not delayed further. Part of these negotiations will review the current proposed construction programme to ascertain if it is possible to reconfigure the programme to minimise the impact of delay on the provision of Single Living Accommodation.

Armed Forces (Deployment)

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army, (b) navy and (c) RAF personnel are (i) assigned to operations but not deployed and (ii) are assigned to or deployed on public duties.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 April 2002 (Official Report, column 195W).
	Around 1,200 Army and 115 RAF personnel are assigned to public duties, mainly in the London Area.

Manning Control

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many soldiers subject to manning control were subsequently offered short-term (S-type) engagements in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many soldiers in (a) the Army and (b) the 3 Battalion, the Parachute Regiment have been subject to manning control in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The number of soldiers in the (a) Army and (b) the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, who have been discharged in each of the last five calendar years following a Manning and Control Point review, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Year Army 3rd Battalion parachute regiment S-type 
		
		
			 1997 231 2 2 
			 1998 175 0 1 
			 1999 93 0 1 
			 2000 66 0 2 
			 2001 47 1 1 
			 2002 3 0 0 
			  
			 Total 615 3 7 
		
	
	The number of such soldiers subsequently offered S-type engagements is not recorded. However, the number who re-engaged on an S-type engagement is also shown separately in the final column above.

Foreign Personnel

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many foreign military personnel, and from which countries, have been involved in military training in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months.

Adam Ingram: During the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, 3,925 overseas military personnel were trained at United Kingdom military establishments. A full breakdown of the numbers trained by country is shown in the table.
	
		Overseas military personnel trained in the UK between 1 April and 31 March 2002
		
			 Country Students trained 
		
		
			 Albania 13 
			 Algeria 2 
			 Argentina 11 
			 Australia 105 
			 Austria 11 
			 Bahamas 2 
			 Bahrain 29 
			 Bangladesh 3 
			 Barbados 1 
			 Belgium 86 
			 Belize 30 
			 Bermuda 14 
			 Botswana 13 
			 Brazil 15 
			 Brunei 182 
			 Bulgaria 10 
			 Canada 357 
			 Chile 6 
			 China 40 
			 Croatia 8 
			 Czech Republic 29 
			 Denmark 34 
			 Egypt 19 
			 El Salvador 1 
			 Estonia 5 
			 Fiji 2 
			 Finland 12 
			 France 49 
			 Gambia 1 
			 Georgia 6 
			 Germany 120 
			 Ghana 8 
			 Greece 47 
			 Guatemala 4 
			 Guyana 6 
			 Hong Kong 2 
			 Hungary 29 
			 Iceland 1 
			 India 17 
			 Indonesia 1 
			 Ireland 107 
			 Israel 13 
			 Italy 164 
			 Jamaica 33 
			 Japan 7 
			 Jordan 90 
			 Kazakhstan 3 
			 Kenya 9 
			 Korea (South) 10 
			 Kyrghistan 1 
			 Kuwait 312 
			 Latvia 17 
			 Lebanon 2 
			 Lithuania 12 
			 Luxembourg 1 
			 Macedonia 7 
			 Malawi 5 
			 Malaysia 17 
			 Malta 2 
			 Moldova 8 
			 Morocco 5 
			 Mozambique 5 
			 Nepal 34 
			 Netherlands 259 
			 New Zealand 38 
			 Nicaragua 0 
			 Nigeria 31 
			 Norway 202 
			 Oman 184 
			 Pakistan 53 
			 Papua New Guinea 3 
			 Paraguay 3 
			 Peru 1 
			 Philippines 10 
			 Poland 24 
			 Portugal 39 
			 Qatar 64 
			 Romania 16 
			 Russia 10 
			 Rwanda 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 55 
			 Senegal 15 
			 Sierra Leone 23 
			 Singapore 125 
			 Slovakia 20 
			 Slovenia 7 
			 South Africa 17 
			 Spain 25 
			 Sri Lanka 6 
			 St. Vincent 2 
			 Swaziland 1 
			 Sweden 25 
			 Switzerland 10 
			 Tanzania 9 
			 Thailand 29 
			 Tonga 5 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 6 
			 Turkey 72 
			 Uganda 2 
			 Ukraine 37 
			 United Arab Emirates 108 
			 United States of America 128 
			 Uruguay 5 
			 Yemen 7 
			 Zimbabwe 1 
			  
			 Total students 3,873 
			   
			 Total countries 104

Royal Navy

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many submarines are operational in the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch) on 26 April 2002, Official Report, columns 48788W.

Service Personnel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 April 2002, Official Report, column 425W, on service personnel, how many service personnel (a) with children and (b) without children in (i) the Army, (ii) the Navy and (iii) the RAF are earning under 92.90 per week after tax and national insurance deductions; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 May 2002, Official Report, columns 96667W.

Service Personnel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pay, conditions of service and pension rights are offered to recruits from Commonwealth countries that differ from those offered to UK-born recruits; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Unlike Gurkhas who are recruited in accordance with the 1947 Tri-Partite Agreement (TPA) between the Governments of India, Nepal and the UK, recruits from Commonwealth countries are employed as individuals and fully integrated into the armed forces. With the exception of the following allowances, recruits from Commonwealth countries have the same pay, conditions of service and pension rights as United Kingdom-born recruits. The allowances that are specifically designed to meet the needs of recruits from the Commonwealth are:
	Commonwealth Enlisted Compassionate Travel Scheme
	Domiciled Collective Leave Scheme.

Gurkhas

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the additional annual cost to his Department if Gurkhas were offered the same pay, conditions of service and pensions as UK armed forces personnel; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to ensure that the conditions of service, pay and pension right of Gurkha soldiers are commensurate with the pay and conditions and pensions of other UK armed forces personnel; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the cost to his Department was of pensions for former Gurkha soldiers in each of the last five financial years; if he will estimate in each case the cost to his Department if Gurkha pensions were paid at the rates paid to UK members of the armed forces; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will estimate the cost to his Department if surviving former Gurkhas who are drawing pensions related to their service in the UK armed forces were paid in a lump sum additional moneys in order to make up the difference between what they have been drawing in pension and what they would have received if they had the same pension rights as UK members of the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Gurkhas are recruited into the Army in accordance with the 1947 Tri-Partite Agreement (TPA) between the Governments of India, Nepal and the UK. This is the basic instrument that enables both the UK and India to raise and maintain formed Gurkha Regiments and aims to ensure that both Armies are able to recruit on an equal basis. As a result Gurkhas Terms and Conditions of Service, including basic pay and pensions, remain linked to those of the Indian Army. We have no plans to review these arrangements.
	There have, however, been significant enhancements to Gurkha conditions of service in recent years. Gurkhas are now paid a cost of living allowance known as Universal Addition for service in all theatres outside Nepal. This allowance is uplifted annually to ensure that the combination of Gurkha basic pay at Indian Army rates and Universal Addition brings their remuneration broadly into line with the net pay of comparable British Service personnel. These arrangements have been in place since 1997. The approximate cost to the Ministry of Defence of the pensions paid to former Gurkha soldiers in each of the last five financial years is as follows:
	199798: 5.3 million
	199899: 6 million
	19992000: 8.2 million
	200001: 23.9 million
	200102: 26 million (includes forecasted expenditure).
	The significant increase in expenditure for the financial year 200001 reflects the outcome of a comprehensive examination of Gurkha pensions conducted by the Ministry of Defence at that time. This led to all Gurkha pensions being at least doubled and they now compare favourably to professional salaries in Nepal, where all Gurkhas are discharged. The vast majority of Gurkha pensioners, who continue to be entitled to an immediate pension after only 15 year's service, welcomed the outcome of the examination. British service personnel discharged at this point of service would receive no pension until they reached the age of 60. We remain of the view that the arguments for an immediate pension on discharge in Nepal are compelling.
	Because of the different terms of service and career structures that apply, it is very difficult to make the direct comparisons that are sought. The cost of transposing British service personnel pay and conditions of service to Gurkhas cannot be computed accurately, and not without incurring disproportionate costs.

Gurkhas

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gurkhas are in service in the UK armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As at 1 April 2002, there are 3,449 Gurkhas serving in the British Army. They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but also with significant numbers of engineers, signals and logistics specialists. We expect Gurkha manning to remain at around this level for the foreseeable future.

Gurkhas

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former Gurkhas drawing an armed forces pension are resident in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Nepal and (c) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Residency details for former Gurkhas drawing an armed forces pension are not held. Data regarding the location in which payments are made are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Location from which paid(8) Number of pensions paid(9) 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 14 
			 Nepal 26,881 
			 Elsewhere 206 
		
	
	Notes:
	(8) Pensioners may reside in a different location.
	(9) Includes all types of Gurkha pensionsnormal, disability and family.

Sierra Leone

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British armed forces are stationed in Sierra Leone.

Adam Ingram: We currently have some 360 shore-based military personnel deployed in Sierra Leone, supported by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Sir Geraint, and we will maintain our presence at that level over the period of presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2002. We are also contributing 15 military observers and seven headquarters staff to UNAMSIL, the UN operation in Sierra Leone.

RAF Pilots

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many successful applicants for RAF pilot officer have been unable to secure a flying training position in each of the past three years.

Adam Ingram: Pilot Officer is a rank and it covers all RAF officer branches not just pilots and navigators. Potential pilots and navigators are selected for the General Duties Branch and applicants are recruited as either a Pilot Officer, Flying Officer or exceptionally as a Flight Lieutenant.
	Usually all pilot or navigator applicants that have been successful at Initial Officer Training are offered a flying training place. On rare occasions there may be exceptions. Withdrawal could be for a range of reasons, such as personal, medical or issues of conduct. We do not keep a specific count of these instances because they are infrequent. A trawl of our records for the last three years identified only one officer that was unable to take up flying training. All other officers in the period would have been offered or are in the process of being offered a flying training place.

SCOTLAND

Gaelic Broadcasting

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the future of Gaelic broadcasting following consultations on the Milne Committee report and the publication of the draft Communications Bill.

Helen Liddell: The Government has published today the draft Communications Bill and an accompanying policy document on a number of matters, including Gaelic broadcasting. We plan to secure improvements in the current delivery of service in various ways. We propose to build on the strengths of the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee by extending its representative base and by giving it a new statutory power to plan strategically for development of the service. The policy document indicates also our intention that I will assume a power of approval for appointments to the new committee as part of improved accountability procedures. We are considering within the Spending Review the scope for some additional investment to support these and other changes. Urgent talks convened by my Department will now begin on the detail of the proposed committee role and on the possibility of creating a more unified structure in the oversight and transmission of Gaelic programmes.
	The Milne Committee recommendations have helped to focus on the need for overhaul of the current structures but we do not agree that the scale of change and extra resourcing they proposed is feasible or justified. I believe our policy intentions represent a constructive response to meeting some of the Gaelic speaking community's aspirations for a better co-ordinated service. We look forward to working with the community's representatives and with the broadcasting interests to make it happen.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

BSE

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for additional testing of sheep in relation to possible BSE infection; and what representations she has received from the Food Standards Agency regarding the adequacy of present research.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 18 October 2001
	Because of the difficulties of collecting sheep brain material that is in a suitable condition for strain typing by conventional bioassay in mice, and because of the length of time it takes to get the results from such studies, work is in hand to develop and evaluate molecular methods of distinguishing BSE from scrapie. SEAC has recently endorsed a programme of work at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency which includes a statistical analysis of the robustness of molecular approaches, retrospective testing of 1,400 sheep brains which were positive for a TSE in the VLA archive and prospective sampling of the brains from all clinically reported suspects which prove to be positive for a TSE.
	I received a letter from Sir John Krebs concerning this issue and wrote to him on 24 October 2001 to explain the position.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when copies of (a) the report of the Rural Task Force and (b) Lord Haskins' report were made available to the media.

Margaret Beckett: I regret that this reply has been overlooked. Copies of both the report of the Rural Task Force and Lord Haskins' report were made available to the media at a press conference held in my Department on 18 October 2001the day of publication.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what instructions regarding preparations for foot and mouth were issued to the Meat Hygiene Service between 1 December and 1 February 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: No new or special instructions were issued.

Foot and Mouth

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what effect foot and mouth had on the Krebs experiment.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Field operations associated with the trial were suspended during the foot and mouth disease outbreak because of the disease risk posed by operatives on agricultural land. The Independent Scientific Group (ISG) has considered the impact of FMD on the trial and advised that the delivery of results will only be delayed by three to four months to 200405.

Sustainable Development

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to develop goals and targets to confront negative environmental economic and social impact of development within and outside the European region.

Michael Meacher: The Department is engaged in a wide range of regional and international processes to combat the principal threats to sustainable development. Many of these are referred to in recent answers to my hon. Friend. As far as the European Union is concerned, the Government has strongly supported the recent agreement by the European Council on a sustainable development strategy for the EU which sets high-level objectives and targets and aims to provide a more coherent framework for the EU's policies. This strategy is expected to be extended at the Seville European Council to cover the EU's external responsibilities, notably on trade, aid and governance.

Correspondence

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter dated 3 December 2001 from the hon. Member for Leominster on behalf of constituents Mr. and Mrs. Pledge about liquid petroleum gas.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 15 April 2002
	I am sorry for the long delay in replying. You will be aware of the difficulties DEFRA faced last year in processing correspondence, following the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, and the creation of the new Department. Steady progress is being made towards eliminating the backlog of cases, and performance on incoming letters was considerably improved. I can assure you that all efforts will continue to be devoted to this area until the problems have been fully resolved.
	Your constituents letter raises issues on the use of liquid petroleum gas, which is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. The correspondence was sent to the DTI on 25 April, for them to reply direct.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Parliamentary Secretary intends to reply to the letter dated 25 January from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding the monitoring of quota uptake.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 April 2002
	I am sorry for the delay in reply to the hon. Member's letter. A reply was sent on 18 April.

Correspondence

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many letters received by her Department since June 2001 received a substantive response in (a) less than four weeks, (b) between four and six weeks, (c) between six weeks and two months and (d) over two months; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Department suffered severe disruption last year due to allocating top priority to defeating the Foot and Mouth epidemic. Furthermore the sheer volume of correspondence following the creation of DEFRA had a major impact on the Department's performance, resulting in a large backlog of letters. Mechanisms are now in place to prevent any further recurrence of the problems experienced, and a range of work is in hand to tighten both quality and the speed of our response to Member's letters. The events of last year were exceptional, and their impact is still being felt across a range of Departmental activity.
	
		Letters answered from 8 June 2001 to 18 April 2002
		
			 Number of letters which received a response   
		
		
			 In less than four weeks 2,689 
			 Between four and six weeks 1,078 
			 Between six weeks and two months 1,086 
			 Over two months 2,471

Parliamentary Questions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland on 12 February, Ref. 36001.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 17 April 2002, Official Report, column 930W.

National Insurance

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the impact on (a) employers in rural areas and (b) agricultural and related industries of the increase in national insurance contributions announced in the Budget.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 23 April 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Andrew Smith) on 29 April 2002, Official Report, columns 54445W.

National Insurance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the cost in the next 12 months of the budget changes to employers' national insurance contributions to 
	(1)  (a) her Department, (b) agencies of her Department and (c) local government carrying out functions within the responsibility of her Department;
	(2)  the (a) agriculture, (b) food processing businesses, (c) retail food outlets and (d) horticulture.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Andrew Smith) on 29 April 2002, Official Report, column 544W.

Food Labelling

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the letter of the Minister for the Environment, Ref. 162822, of 26 March 2002, what the outcome is of the discussions with interested parties on EU food labelling rules requiring a GM presence to be indicated.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 25 April 2002
	In my letter to the hon. Member I noted that current EU food labelling rules are based on a 1 per cent. threshold for incidental GM presence. My reference to discussions with interested parties related to the issue of how GM and non-GM crops might co-exist at farm level. My officials have had preliminary talks on this with various stakeholders. These revealed a wide range of views and we are now considering how to take the matter forward. The Food Standards Agency lead on the specific issue of food labelling.

Packaging Waste

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste sets different targets for different materials in the packaging chain; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC sets targets for overall recovery, recycling and material-specific recycling of packaging waste. The first targets to be met under this Directive were due in 2001 and were:
	Between 50 per cent. and 65 per cent. of packaging waste to be recovered;
	Between 25 per cent. and 45 per cent. to be recycled; and
	15 per cent. of each packaging material to be recycled.
	Material-specific targets for recycling ensure that at least a minimum level of recycling is carried out in each major material and allow those involved in the collection and recovery infrastructure to plan ahead. In the Commission's proposed revision to the Directive, new differentiated material-specific targets are proposed. The levels proposed are based on work for the Commission by the environmental consultancies, RDC and PIRA.

Bovine TB

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will to make a further announcement about a vaccine for bovine TB; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 29 April 2002
	TB in cattle is one of the most difficult animal health problems we face and the increase in its incidence is continuing to give considerable concern. The Government have, with advice from the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG), put in place a wide-ranging research programme to tackle the disease. An important element of the programme is vaccine research on which the Government are spending 1.4 million annually. Although the sequencing of the M. bovis genome announced recently is an important step forward, the ISG has cautioned that it is likely to be 10 years or so before a successful vaccine is found.

Bovine TB

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms have had animal movement restriction orders placed on them due to bovine TB in each year since 1980.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Data on the number of herds under restriction each year is available only from 1996. Data from ealier years could not be collated except at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number of herds under restriction 
		
		
			 1996 1,603 
			 1997 1,657 
			 1998 2,109 
			 1999 2,400 
			 2000 2,516 
			 2001 1,731 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data from 1996 to 2001 taken from DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk. Figures from 1999 are provisional.
	2. Data for 2001 are not comparable with other years. During the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, TB testing was significantly reduced.

Bovine TB

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the latest research she has commissioned on the linkage between bovine TB and badgers.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The Government have, with advice from the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG), put in place a wide-ranging research programme into bovine TB. The programme is described in the ISG's reports which are available on DEFRA's website at http://defraweb/ animal/tb/.
	An important part of the research programme is the badger field trial which recommenced from 1 May 2002. The trial is designed to evaluate, once and for all, the extent to which badgers contribute to cattle TB and the effects of badger culling on the incidence of the disease. It will provide data on the prevalence of TB in badgers and the spatial distribution of infected badgers and social groups, its relationship to population density, social group size and structure, geographical and physical environmental factors and, most importantly, the spatial relationship between TB in cattle and badgers.

Bovine TB

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average interval was between tests for TB in dairy cattle over the last 12 months; what the longest time recorded was; and what the optimum is.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The information requested is not available except at undue cost.
	Routine bovine TB test frequencies for cattle herds are set at the parish level. Parishes with historically higher numbers of confirmed incidents of bovine TB are placed on annual or biennial test regimes. Parishes with low or no disclosed incidents of bovine TB have a test frequency set at once every three or four years. Dairy herds in England and Wales retailing raw milk or supplying raw milk for the manufacture of unpasteurised dairy products are subjected to annual TB testing regardless of the default testing interval for the parish in which they are located.
	In addition herds disclosed as having incidents of bovine TB undergo more frequent testing to check that infection has been cleared so that movement restrictions can be lifted. Further tests are carried out at 6 and 12 months after the removal of movement restrictions to check for recrudescence. If no further TB incidents are reported during this period, the herds return to the default frequency of testing set for the parish.
	TB testing was heavily disrupted during the foot and mouth disease outbreak and a significant backlog of overdue tests has built up, equivalent to a quarter of all GB herds. This is being tackled by the state veterinary service.

Bovine TB

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many herds of cattle were overdue their six or 12-month test for bovine TB in each of the last 12 months; how many herds are overdue their six or 12-month test for bovine TB; when the backlog of bovine TB testing will be cleared; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Raw data on overdue six and twelve month bovine TB tests are only available from December 2001, when testing resumed after the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. The figures for December 2001 to March 2002 are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Month Overdue 612 month bovine TB tests 
		
		
			 December 2001 1,369 
			 January 2002 1,289 
			 February 2002 1,261 
			 March 2002 1,077 
		
	
	We cannot say yet when the backlog of overdue TB tests will be cleared.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on carbon dioxide emissions of the freeze in the rate of the Climate Change Levy announced in the Budget.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	The environment impact of the freeze in the rates of the climate change levy is set out in table 7.2 of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) past and (b) future impact on carbon dioxide emissions of the work of the Carbon Trust, broken down into (i) the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, (ii) the Environment and Energy Helpline, (iii) Administration of the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme for investments in energy-saving technologies, (iv) the Low Carbon Innovation Programme and (v) other programmes or schemes.

Michael Meacher: Previous assessments of the Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme (EEBPp) including the Energy Helpline up to 2000 have indicated that carbon savings of around 4 million tonnes of carbon per year were achieved. Work is currently being carried out to assess the impact of the scheme for the last financial year. Management of EEBPp will be transferred to the Carbon Trust.
	The Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme to encourage take up of energy saving technologies was set up in April last year and it is too early to estimate the extent to which business has taken advantage of the scheme. The Carbon Trust will shortly take over the administration and promotion of the scheme and propose to carry out an impact assessment of the first year of its operation.
	The Carbon Trust is developing a Low Carbon Innovation Programme (LCIP) that will support the development and commercialisation of new and emerging technologies. The Carbon Trust will put into place impact assessment measures to monitor the impact of LCIP and its other programmes.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department will consult on the treatment of waste oil used as a fuel; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise will be consulting shortly on the possible ending of the excise duty exemption for waste oil used as a fuel. My officials are working closely with Customs and Treasury colleagues on this issue.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on carbon dioxide emissions of (a) an exemption from the climate change levy of fuel used in dual-use purposes and (b) extending relief to certain processes which compete with those benefiting from the dual-use or non-fuel use exemptions; and if she will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	The exemption from the climate change levy for fuel used in dual-use purposes has been part of the design of the levy since it was launched in April 2001. Consequently this exemption has been taken into account in all estimates made of carbon savings from the levy.
	The proposal to extend relief to certain processes which compete with those benefiting from the dual-use or non-fuel use exemptions is not expected to have a significant effect on carbon savings. Most of the processes eligible for this further relief are covered by a negotiated agreement with DEFRA, under which the operators have agreed to energy efficiency targets. However, the exemption will give a further incentive to recycling processes which are more environmentally friendly than the alternative primary production processes.

Energy Efficiency

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on carbon dioxide emissions of the extension of the 5 per cent. rate of VAT to apply to the grant-funded installation of (a) factory-insulated hot water tanks, (b) micro-combined heat and power and (c) renewable energy heating systems in the homes of the less well-off.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	As set out in table 7.2 of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, the reduced rate of VAT on the installation of energy-saving materials is expected to save around 0.1 million tonnes carbon by 2010. The extension of the reduced rate in Budget 2002 will lead to further small savings of carbon. The reduced rate will enable further installations of the qualifying measures to be made under grant-funded programmes in homes of the less well-off. By improving energy efficiency, the measures will enable householders to improve comfort levels for the same expenditure on energy as well as to reduce carbon emissions.

Coalbed Methane Gas

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on (a) air quality and (b) greenhouse gas emission targets of the venting of coalbed methane gas released by drilling and fracturing of the coalseam to the atmosphere; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Methane vented from working coal mines is included in the UK National Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. For 2000, methane emissions from working coal mines was 5.04 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, less than one per cent. of the UK's total Greenhouse Gas Emissions. At current atmospheric levels methane does not have adverse air quality impacts.
	Deliberate drilling of undisturbed seams, fracturing the coal and pumping can be used to produce methane. Using this gas would be similar to using natural gas, though not absolutely identical because the composition differs slightly. The emissions consequences of natural gas burning are well-understood.

Nitrate

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will (a) make a statement on the mg/litre threshold for permissible nitrate levels contained in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Directive and (b) publish the Environment Agency's data on nitrate levels in rivers located in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency.

Michael Meacher: The information is as follows:
	a) The Nitrates Directive requires identification and protection of surface waters that contain, or could contain if action is not taken, 50mg/litre of nitrate. This threshold is based on standards laid down in the Drinking Water Directive (75/440/EEC).
	b) The Environment Agency's monitoring data on nitrate concentrations in rivers located in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency has been made available in the Library of the House.

Nitrate

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the Environment Agency's data on nitrate levels in rivers located in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency; what comparison she has made of these data with the 50mg/litre threshold contained in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Directive; for what reason farmland located in the Macclesfield constituency is included in a nitrate vulnerable zone; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: There are currently no existing nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency.
	The Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) requires action programmes for reduction of agricultural nitrate pollution to waters to be applied either throughout the whole territory (Option 1 in our recent consultation for England) or within specific NVZs (Option 2).
	Under Option 1, farmers throughout the whole of Macclesfield parliamentary constituency would need to apply Action Programme measures.
	Under Option 2, an indicative map showing the location of possible new NVZ areas, as identified in an initial assessment, was published in the consultation document How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive, in December 2001. Parts of the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency were included in these areas because they were parts of river catchments which contained one or more monitoring points where nitrate levels have been shown, through statistical analysis of the data, to have exceeded the levels specified in the Nitrates Directive.
	We are refining our assessment of these failing monitoring points to take account of data anomalies and long-term nitrate concentration trends. We are also carrying out more accurate mapping work to identify precisely which parts of each catchment would require designation as NVZs. As was explained in the consultation document, such refinements are expected to alter some of the possible NVZ boundaries illustrated in the consultation document.
	A decision on how the Government intends to implement the Nitrate Directive will be announced in due course.

GM Crops

Paul Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the grid references are of locations in which T-25 genetically modified maize (a) has been and (b) is the subject of field crop trials; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Listed are the grid references of the locations in which T-25 maize (a) has been grown in the Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE) trials in 1999 (the pilot year of the trials), 2000 and 2001 and (b) is proposed for the FSE trials this year. This and further background information on the FSE trials is on our website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/fse/ location/index.
	1999
	SK 979 911
	SU 672 628
	TG 090 179
	TL 101 999
	2000
	SE 442 409
	SJ 356 692
	SJ 570 384
	SJ 619 473
	SK 971 586
	SK 979 907
	SO 566 475
	ST 587 164
	TA 263 382
	TL 118 130
	TM 051 224
	TM 100 879
	2001
	SE 450 412
	SJ 362 678
	SJ 570 384
	SJ 603 210
	SJ 619 473
	SJ 680 265
	SJ 697 862
	SK 959 902
	SO 566 478
	SO 915 564
	SU 377 977
	SU 748 692
	SY 653 849
	SY 675 847
	SY 680 822
	SY 681 836
	TA 018 008
	TA 224 374
	TG 031 134
	TG 089 169
	TG 092 175
	TM 051 221
	TM 056 221
	TM 068 897
	TM 106 873
	2002
	NZ 206 363
	SE 448 422
	SJ 573 381
	SJ 602 214
	SJ 619 473
	SJ 683 254
	SJ 714 870
	SK 963 898
	SO 556 486
	SO 561 479
	SO 915 565
	SP 154 403
	ST 587 164
	ST 785 091
	ST 813 082
	SU 362 990
	SU 748 692
	SY 667 857
	SY 669 864
	SY 680 822
	SY 681 836
	SY 764 938
	TA 020 010
	TA 225 374
	TF 040 173
	TF 195 974
	TF 934 241
	TG 090 173
	TM 051 221
	TM 068 897
	TM 106 873
	TM 168 215
	TQ 985 243.

Marine Stewardship

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the Marine Stewardship Report.

Michael Meacher: The first Marine Stewardship ReportSafeguarding Our Seas: A Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of our Marine Environmentwas published on 1 May. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Aggregates Levy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she (a) has made and (b) plans to make of the impact of the aggregates levy on (i) the development and use of alternative materials and (ii) efficiency in the use of virgin aggregate; and if she will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	The higher price of aggregates will provide an incentive to develop and use alternative materials and make more efficient use of primary aggregate.
	The levy will be subject to environmental evaluation in due course. Given that the levy was only introduced on 1 April 2002 it is currently too early to assess its impact.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Equipment Leasing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last four years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Jane Kennedy: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Television Sets

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) analogue and (b) integrated digital television sets his Department has purchased in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: As the information requested is not held centrally, I could provide an answer only at disproportionate cost.
	All officials in the Northern Ireland Office are aware that they are expected to find the most cost-effective solution to meet the desired needs in regards to the purchase of television sets as with all other procurements.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Northern Ireland Office has a special leave policy that allows for paid leave for voluntary work. We do not record centrally the numbers of staff on this kind of leave, as it is a matter dealt with by local management.
	All staff in the Northern Ireland Office are encouraged to undertake voluntary work, training and learning opportunities as part of their personal and career development.

Departmental Functions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the functions of his Department that have been (a) market tested and (b) outsourced in each of the last five years, specifying the (i) money saving and (ii) percentage saving in each case.

Jane Kennedy: No functions of the Northern Ireland Office have been market tested or outsourced to which you refer.

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people employed by his Department under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits.

Jane Kennedy: The NIO (and its agencies) have employed seven people under the New Deal for Young People scheme in the last four years and of these seven, six have found unsubsidised employment. We are unable to confirm the position with the other appointee.

Police Ombudsman

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the breakdown is by outcome of cases dealt with by the police ombudsman.

Jane Kennedy: The police ombudsman advises that the outcome of cases received since the opening of the Police Ombudsman's Office on 6 November 2000 until 1 May 2002 is as follows:
	
		Closed complaint outcomes
		
			 Outcome Number Per cent. 
		
		
			 Non-cooperation by complainant 2,193 53 
			 Withdrawn by complainant 359 9 
			 Not substantiated after investigation 245 6 
			 Closed for other reason(10) 962 23 
			 Informal resolution(11) 379 9 
			  
			 Total 4,138 100 
		
	
	
		Status of complaints still open
		
			 Status Number Per cent. 
		
		
			 Under investigation 848 67 
			 Further inquiries being made(12) 243 19 
			 Sent for informal resolution(13) 120 10 
			 With DPP or at disciplinary proceedings 44 4 
			  
			 Total 1,255 100 
		
	
	(10) Other reasons for closure include complaints being repetitive, vexatious, incapable of investigation, outside remit, ill-founded, etc.
	(11) Complaints settled by informal resolution are minor non-criminal and non-disciplinary matters. They are settled by a meeting between the complainant and the police.
	(12) Complaints which are subject to further inquiries by police ombudsman's staff so that appropriate means of dealing with them can be identified.
	(13) Complaints sent to the police to arrange a meeting with the complainant so that a resolution may be achieved.

Criminal Damage

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last four years.

Jane Kennedy: The information you have requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the (a) Police Authority and (b) Royal Ulster Constabulary targets for reducing sickness absence by police officers and civilians were met by March 2001.

Jane Kennedy: The targets for the financial year 200001 for police and civilian staff were 16 days and 12 days respectively. These targets were not met as the average sickness absences were 23.11 days and 15.40 days respectively.

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he estimates the target for reducing average sickness absence rates for departmental staff in 200102 will be achieved.

Jane Kennedy: I am confident that measures are in place to meet the target for reducing average sickness absence rates for departmental staff in 200102.

Saville Inquiry

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the staff serving the Saville Inquiry and give (a) the annual full cost of their employment to his Department, (b) their salaries, (c) their daily expense allowance and (d) the collective costs of their travel to date.

Des Browne: As at 9 April 2002, 35 staff serve the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. This figure includes administrative staff, solicitors and paralegals, but excludes Counsel to the Inquiry.
	Thirty-one of these staff are paid as civil servants according to the NIO pay scales as follows.
	
		
			 Grade Number Salary range () 
		
		
			 SCS 3 Covers three pay bands: 
			   44,03869,178 
			   48,55277,869 
			   53,53487,598 
			 A 1 30,25048,750 
			 B1 1 22,75034,325 
			 B2 8 18,50027,750 
			 C 8 14,00023,750 
			 D1 5 11,00015,250 
			 D2 5 10,00013,000 
			 Total 31  
		
	
	(14) 200102 rates
	In addition to those listed previously, there are currently two Grade C and two Grade D1 temporary staff who have been employed through an agency.
	The total salary costs, including agency costs, to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry Secretariat was 3,493,332 as at 9 April 2002. This can be broken down for each year as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 199798 5,479 
			 199899 452,362 
			 19992000 738,758 
			 200001 1,067,206 
			 200102 1,229,527 
		
	
	These costs are inclusive of employer's national insurance and pensions contributions and, in the case of agency staff, VAT.
	Staff expenses are essentially subsistence allowances. These are calculated in line with the rates paid to NIO civil servants and differ according to the individual's circumstances. Listing each would be possible only at disproportionate cost. The sum of subsistence allowances paid to Inquiry staff was 241,410 as at 9 April 2002.
	The total travel costs of Inquiry staff was 712,913 to 9 April 2002. Most of this sum relates to travel between London and Northern Ireland.
	The cost of providing accommodation for these individuals was 363,586 to 9 April 2002. Most of this sum relates to accommodation in Londonderry.

Prisoner Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by what percentage the differential between the cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland and that in England and Wales has changed in 200102.

Jane Kennedy: The cost per prisoner place for 200102 will not be available for either Northern Ireland or England and Wales until the figures are collated after the completion of the financial year.
	However it is expected that NIPS will achieve its key performance target to reduce the differential in cost per prisoner place between N. Ireland and England and Wales by 5.7 per cent by March 2002.

Civil Servants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the 2001 target for women's participation in the Northern Ireland Civil Service was met on time.

Jane Kennedy: In its 2001 Departmental Report, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) declared its continued commitment to progressing Home Civil Service (HCS) and Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) service-wide targets for increased representation of women in the Senior Civil Service.
	The 2001 target of 15 per cent. for NICs staff has already been surpassed since females currently make up 16.7 per cent. of the Senior Civil Service within the NICS group. Women presently make up 13 per cent. of the NCS Senior Civil Service group and, taking account of current trends, we would anticipate reaching the 2002 target of 15 per cent. by the end of the year.
	Women are well represented in the NIO and currently make up 58.6 per cent of the organisation but, as with other Government departments, they are under- represented at the senior grades. The NIO wishes women to be fairly represented at all levels within the organisation and, as an indication of our commitment to this aim, we have actively progressed targets for HCS and NICS staff in the Department.

Civil Servants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he expects the 2002 target for women's participation in the Home Civil Service to be met on time.

John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to Question ref. 45987.

Code of Practice (Victims)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the review of the Code of Practice for victims was conducted in 2001 as undertaken in the 2001 Departmental report; and what the outcome was.

Des Browne: The performance of the commitments incorporated in the Code have been monitored against the standards set out in the Code. A revised version of the Code has recently been made available including information on the new arrangements for getting compensation.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new initiatives his Department has taken in 200102 to assist in achieving its Public Service Agreement targets.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 12 April 2002.

Motor Fuel

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many UK-duty paid litres of motor fuel products have been sold in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	HM Customs and Excise does not collect information on the destination of diesel or petrol after it passes the duty point, which is normally a refinery or storage facility.
	Estimates of the volumes of oils delivered in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the United Kingdom are published by the Department of Trade and Industry in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics Table 3.9.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Appointments

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list all the outstanding appointments that (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have to make, stating for each one (i) the date on which her Department became aware of the vacancy and (ii) when she expects an appointment to be made.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 9 April 2002
	Details of outstanding appointments are set out in the table, indicating current vacant posts. These do not include appointments which have been left open for operational reasons. For the majority of outstanding appointments, my Department would have been aware of the possibility of a vacancy occurring when the decision was made not to reappoint the existing post holder. This is usually six months before their term of appointment ends and we aim to complete the process to identify a successor within four months. In some instances, however, post holders have unexpectedly chosen to stand down before their terms are due to end.
	
		DCMS outstanding board appointments as at 31 March 2002
		
			 Body Vacant position Date vacancy arose Expected date of appointment 2002 
		
		
			 Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites Chair 5 October 2001 June 
			  Member 31 March 2002 July 
			 
			 Alcohol Education and Research Council Member 31 March 2001 June 
			 
			 British Broadcasting Corporation Member 19 December 2001 July 
			 
			 The Community Fund Member 17 January 2002 July 
			 
			 Horserace Totalisator Member 31 March 2002 July 
			 
			 Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester Member 8 February 2001 May 
			 National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside Member New post May 
			 
			 Resource Member 30 September 2001 July 
			  Member New post July 
			 
			 Theatres Trust Member 5 April 2001 June

Young People

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what subjects and on which dates her Department has recently consulted organisations representing young people; and if she will list such organisations.

Richard Caborn: Many of the Department's sponsored bodies with which DCMS regularly liaise and consult represent, among other groups, the interests of young people. The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is committed to the new Core Principles for the Involvement of Children and Young People, published by the Minister for Young People in November 2001. The Department will shortly be publishing an action plan setting out for the first time how it will implement these principles to extend the participation of children and young people in the design, delivery and evaluation of policies and services that affect them.

National Insurance

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the cost to (a) community and amateur sports clubs and (b) the fitness industry of the proposed increase in national insurance contributions.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 29 April 2002
	It is estimated that the changes to employers national insurance contributions announced in the Budget will increase the wages costs of community amateur sports clubs and the fitness industry by 0.7 per cent. on average next year.

Tourism

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the changes that took place in real terms in income of the British tourism industry in (a) 19992000, (b) 200001 and (c) 200102.

Kim Howells: The estimated value of tourism expenditure for the UK in real terms (1999 prices) is:
	(a) 1999: 73.1 billion
	(b) 2000: 73.3 billion
	(c) 2001: 72.1 billion.
	Information is not available in the form requested because the basis of calculation for the UK Tourism Survey was changed in 2000 and not all figures for January to March 2002 are yet available.

Commonwealth Games

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the total public expenditure for each financial stage, by (a) Government, (b) Sport England, (c) the National Lottery and (d) central Government funding bodies, to build the stadium and infrastructure required to host the Commonwealth games in Manchester.

Richard Caborn: Sport England's capital expenditure is detailed in the table, all of which is lottery funding.
	
		 million 
		
			 Capital facilities (lottery) 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203(15) Sport England grant(15) 
		
		
			 City of Manchester Stadium 0 0 10 56.1 10.9 77 
			 Sportcity non stadium facilitiesEnglish Institute of Sport 0 0 0 9.4 5.6 15 
			 Belle Vue 0 0 0 0 2.9 2.9 
			 Bisley 0 0 4.6 1.3 0.1 6 
			 Manchester Aquatics Centre 6.4 8.9 6.7 0 0 21.9 
			 Bolton Arena 1.2 1.4 7.2 1.8 0.2 11.7 
			 Total  134.5 
		
	
	(15) Expected
	In terms of the wider infrastructure necessary for the games, the Northwest Development Agency has contributed 10.66 million and English Partnerships 0.3 million, for the regeneration of the Ashton Canal Corridor, highways and footways reconstruction, and works on the station to stadium shuttle route.
	In addition there are plans for spending a further 0.7 million on the physical infrastructure at the games' village, and at a number of other venues. This money will come from the additional 105 million in games' funding from Sport England, Government and Manchester city council that was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 2 July 2001.

Football League Clubs

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of Football League clubs to the (a) local and (b) national economy.

Richard Caborn: Nationwide football league clubs make significant contributions to their local economies, both directly by providing employment and indirectly by stimulating the activities of local businesses. The wider contribution of the Nationwide League, and football more generally, to the national economy cannot be quantified but should be considered alongside football's substantial non-financial contribution to society.

Sports Clubs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what help she is giving community and amateur sports clubs in applying for the tax reliefs announced in the Budget.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of tax reliefs for community amateur sports clubs in his Budget statement on 17 April. This is included in the Finance Bill.
	Community amateur sports clubs are now able to apply for the tax and other financial benefits of charitable status, which include mandatory 80 per cent. tax relief. I announced the publication of improved Charity Commission guidance for sport on 17 April. Clubs considering applying for registered charity status will be able to receive guidance and information from a regional Sport England advice network, to be established very shortly.

Sports Clubs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the money from the Capital Modernisation Fund to provide new or refurbished community sports facilities will be allocated.

Richard Caborn: The money allocated from the Capital Modernisation Fund is excellent news for sport. The Government will use it in partnership with Sport England and the governing bodies of sport to enhance community sports facilities across the country. Detailed allocation plans will be developed over the next few weeks.

Olympic Games

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with UK Sport and the Greater London Authority regarding a future London Olympic bid.

Richard Caborn: The decision on whether or not to launch a bid for the Olympic games is a matter principally for the British Olympic Association which has yet to decide whether to make a bid for the 2012 games. I have not discussed a bid with UK Sport, the Greater London authority or the BOA. My Department, together with the BOA, GLA and UK Sport, is sponsoring a cost-benefit analysis of a possible London Olympic bid, and we will take decisions once that work is complete.

National Lottery

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money from the National Lottery has been distributed to projects related to ethnic minorities in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: This information is not held by this Department nor across distributors. In October 1999, however, distributors signed up to a Statement of Principle on Minority Ethnic Group Access to Lottery Funding Opportunities which included an agreement to monitor in appropriate funding programmes the number of applications from, and the number and value of awards made to projects directed at, or of particular relevance to, minority ethnic communities. Distributors have since put the necessary monitoring systems in place and are now collecting data.

National Lottery

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to increase the share of lottery proceeds given to the Community Fund for distribution; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: I have no plans to increase the current share of lottery income going to the Community Fund.

National Stadium

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement about the National Stadium project.

Tessa Jowell: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House earlier today.

Departmental Policies

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what impact her Department's policies have had on the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency since 1997.

Richard Caborn: According to information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the National Lottery awards database, there have been 73 National Lottery awards to Stalybridge and Hyde totalling 1,935,708 from 1 January 1997 to 2 May 2002.
	Thirteen Millennium Award winners have been identified from Stalybridge and Hyde at a commitment of 31,005.
	Information on the number of beneficiaries of free television licences by constituency is not available, but estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 5,600 people aged 75 or over living in the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency.
	Artsmark Schools
	Last year Longdendale High School in Hollingworth was among the first schools in the county to apply successfully for an Artsmark award.
	There are of course other initiatives in the wider context of the region which may have an effect on the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency. These include:
	Sport England
	The Greater Manchester Active Sports Partnership which includes the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency has been awarded 2,399,957 from the lottery programme.
	Libraries
	Tameside library service has been awarded grants of 457,102.80 for People's Network ICT infrastructure and 65,415 for librarian ICT training by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF). According to Resource, the body responsible for monitoring implementation of the People's Network, all 10 public libraries in Tameside offer public internet access through the People's Network.
	Museums
	Residents in the Stalybridge and Hyde Constituency can benefit from the Government's policy of free admission to all, introduced at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MSIM) on 1 December 2001 (and prior to that the introduction of free admission for children and over 60s). In the first four months of free admission, MSIM has welcomed more than 180,000 visitorsa 114 per cent. increase on the same period in 200001.
	English Heritage
	One grant offered on the 12 December 2000 to St. Michael and all Angels Church, Mottram in Longdendale for repairs totalling 62,591.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Access to Information

Tony Wright: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the administrative manuals and internal guidance which his Department has made public as required by Part 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information; and which of these were first made available after May 1997.

Michael Wills: Administrative manuals and internal guidance are listed in the Department's Information Asset Register (www.inforoute.hmso.gov.uk). They will form part of our forthcoming publication scheme, as required under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	The following administrative manuals and internal guidance are either currently publicly available or are open to public inspection on request.
	Adoption ProceedingsA New Approach
	Approval procedures for PPP schemes to provide serviced courthouse and related accommodation
	Certificated BailiffsA Guide
	Checklist for LCD policy makers
	Complaints Handling GuideCourt Service
	Complaints proceduresLord Chancellor's Department Headquarters
	County Court Index of Place Name
	Court Business
	Court Funds OfficeA Guide for Staff
	Court Service Programme Management Guidance
	Court Service Project Management Guidance
	Court Service Project Management Guidance for Minor Projects
	Court Service Welsh Language Scheme
	Court Users Guide to the Civil Justice Reforms
	Crown Court Manual
	Directions for Determining Officers
	Disability Discrimination Act and the service we provide
	Employee Handbook (Court Service)
	Energy Management Manual
	Estates Management Manual
	Finance Manual (subject to deletion of sensitive sections)
	Graduated Fee Guidance Manual
	Guidance on outside activities and interests
	Guide to County Court Fees
	Guide to Family Proceedings Fees
	Guide to proceedings in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division
	Guide to Supreme Court Fees
	Guide to the Summary Assessment of Costs
	Guidelines on written consultation
	LCD Guide to Parliamentary Business
	LCD guidelines on the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information
	LCD staff handbook
	London County Court Directory
	Ministers casesLCD guidance
	Quality Audit Manual
	Record Management Service User Guide
	Risk to the publica framework for identifying and managing risks resulting from or requiring Government intervention
	Sex Offenders Act 1997requirement to register
	Speech preparation in LCD
	Supreme Court Costs Office Guide
	Taxing Compendium
	Taxing Officers' Notes for Guidance
	The Accounts And Investments Practice Manual
	The Administrative CourtNotes for Guidance on applying for Judicial Review
	The Clerical Procedures Manual
	The Investments Manual
	Wider Markets InitiativeOpportunities in the Lord Chancellor's Department, its Agencies and NDPBs.
	Information on when they were first made available is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid (Asylum Seekers)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much money has been spent on legal aid for asylum seekers in each of the last three years; how much of this was for the initial application; how much of this was for fighting appeals; how many asylum seekers were involved in legal aid procedures in both categories; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Legal Services Commission is not able to provide the information in the format requested. The commission is able to provide figures relating to legal aid for all immigration and asylum work from April 1999.
	Total payments for all immigration and asylum advice, assistance and representation are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 61.4 
			 200001 88.3 
			 200102(16) 129.7 
		
	
	(16) The figures provided for 200102 are provisional estimates
	The commission's systems do not record expenditure according to the stage a case has reached, so figures cannot be provided for expenditure on initial applications or fighting appeals. Neither can figures be split between asylum immigration work and non-asylum immigration work. However, it is known that asylum currently accounts for over 90 per cent. of expenditure in the immigration and asylum category.
	Since August 2000, the commission has recorded the number of matters started in asylum immigration as distinct from non-asylum immigration. In the 18 month period from August 2000 to January 2002 132,800 asylum matters were started. Each matter is an act of assistance not a client assisted so the figure is not necessarily reflective of the number of individuals involved.

Legal Aid (Asylum Seekers)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the costs have been for legal aid granted to the Afghans who landed at Stansted in February 2000 in a hijacked aircraft; and what the other costs have been of the judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings concerning their cases.

Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to provide the information requested. For legal aid, a number of claims have yet to be determined and therefore it is not possible at this stage to say what the total costs have been. Nor is it possible to provide the costs for the judicial proceedings. That information, which will include among other things, judicial costs; the costs to the prosecution, witnesses and juror expenses, is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Census (1901)

Joan Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what contingency plans exist in the Public Records Office to keep the 1901 census online in the event of financial failure at QinetiQ.

Rosie Winterton: As is standard in PPP arrangements of this kind, the PRO's contract with QinetiQ includes a clause which would allow it to terminate in the event of contractor default and to acquire the contractor's interests in the services infrastructure. In the highly unlikely event of a default because of financial failure at QinetiQ, the activation of this clause would provide the basis for an alternative way of delivering the 1901 online census service.

Ministerial Training

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been spent by his Department on voice coaching for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The Lord Chancellor's Department has spent 2,700 on voice coaching in 200102 for five senior officials. No specific spending on voice coaching was made in the previous years.
	
		
			   
		
		
			 199798 0 
			 199899 0 
			 19992000 0 
			 200001 0 
			 200102 2,700

Ministerial Training

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been spent by his Department on training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts has not provided any training to the Lord Chancellor's Department in the last five years.

Census Online

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what value of pre-payment vouchers for 1901 Census Online sold by the Public Record Office (a) has been refunded, (b) is eligible for refund and (c) is ineligible for refund by virtue of having been opened.

Rosie Winterton: The answers to the hon. Member's questions are as follows:
	(a) It is estimated that vouchers to a total value of 1,380 have been refunded, of which the PRO has refunded 560 and QinetiQ the remainder.
	(b) Total sales of vouchers to date amount to 285,000, some of which have been completely used or opened and partially used. All vouchers that remain intact may be returned by the purchaser to the point of purchase for a refund.
	The value of vouchers which have been opened and are therefore ineligible for a refund is not known. However, their validity has been extended for a further six months, starting from the date when the online census service resumes.

Census Online

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when internet access will be restored for 1901 Census Online.

Rosie Winterton: General online searches over the internet will be available as soon as practicable following the completion of the testing programme, which will include availability of the online census at the service centres.

Census Online

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much revenue the Public Record Office has received from the sale of pre-payment vouchers in connection with the 1901 Census Online service.

Rosie Winterton: Under the terms of the PRO's PPP arrangements with QinetiQ Ltd., the latter is responsible for the sale of pre-payment vouchers. To date QinetiQ has received a total of 278,019 from the sale of these vouchers.

Census Online

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will instruct the Public Record Office to consult their counterparts in Scotland on lessons to be learned from the launch of an Online Census service in Scotland.

Rosie Winterton: The two sites are very different in characterthe Scottish census site manages 4.5 million names as opposed to 32.5 million names on the 1901 Census for England and Wales, and the present population of Scotland is approximately a tenth of that in England and Wales. The payment model chosen for the online sensus in Scotland imposes an initial 6 charge for access to the site and units of 6 thereafter. The 1901 Census for England and Wales has an entirely free index search facility, which can be used without any restriction; the minimum fee for access to transcriptions or record images is 5, in return for which the user can obtain between six and ten copies. The PRO undertook extensive consultations with users who indicated that, out of a range of possible payment models, their preference was for a payment system based on the delivery of record images.

Families of Murder Victims

Tim Loughton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what financial assistance for legal action is available to families of murder victims where the convicted murderer is related to the victim and has a claim as a beneficiary of the deceased estate.

Rosie Winterton: Matters of probate are included within the scope of public funding under the Legal Services Commission's (LSC's) Funding Code which is approved by Parliament under the Access to Justice Act 1999. As a result, public funding for Legal Help or Legal Representation (formerly legal aid) could be available in such a case to individual family members who could demonstrate their financial eligibility, subject to a funding assessment of the merits of the case by the LSC.
	Financial eligibility is determined by assessing the gross income, disposable income and capital of the applicant; a funding assessment is carried out to establish whether it is reasonable, taking all the circumstances into account, for public funding to be granted.

Access to Information

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much his Department is planning to spend on advertising the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information to the general public in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Michael Wills: None. Information about the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information is available on the websites of the Lord Chancellor's Department (www.lcd.gov.uk) and the parliamentary ombudsman (www.ombudsman.org.uk).

Young People

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what subjects and on which dates her Department has consulted organisations representing young people; and if she will list such organisations.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally and a comprehensive reply can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, it is the practice of this Department to consult organisations, including those representing young people, both in the circulation of formal consultation papers and by way of on-going discussion. For example, in March 2002, the consultation paper 'Promoting Inter-agency Working in the Family Justice system' was sent to the National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations and the Association of Lawyers for Children, while the Connexions service is consulted regularly on a whole range of operational issues.
	In addition, this Department is committed to the new core principles for the involvement of children and young people published by the Minister for Young People in November 2001. The Department will shortly be publishing an actin plan setting out for the first time how it will implement these principles to extend the participation of children and young people in the design, provision and evaluation of policies and services that affect them.

Immigration Advice

Lynne Jones: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will provide a breakdown of the number of (a) solicitors' firms and (b) not-for-profit advice providers holding a Legal Services Commission contract in immigration and the number of matter starts for each such contract in each of the National Asylum Support Service-designated asylum dispersal areas.

Rosie Winterton: As at 30 April 2002, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) had issued 492 solicitor immigration contracts and 78 not-for-profit agency immigration contracts.
	The commission cannot at the present time provide a breakdown of the contract figures by National Asylum Support Service designated asylum dispersal areas. Figures can be provided by the Legal Service Commission regions. The table shows the number of contracts issued, and the contract awards by LSC region. Not-for-profit contractors are awarded 'hours' rather than 'matter starts'.
	
		
			 LSC region Number of solicitor contracts Matter starts allocated Number of Not-for-profit contracts Number of hours allocated 
		
		
			 London 312 103,711 38 68,347 
			 South-east 24 5,864 3 21,340 
			 South-west 13 1,250 4 7,700 
			 Wales 9 2,034 3 4,290 
			 West Midlands 31 9,272 5 15,326 
			 North-west 23 3,652 9 20,364 
			 North-east 14 4,114 1 0 
			 Yorkshire 28 7,628 4 21,450 
			 East Midlands 19 6,738 5 6,186 
			 Eastern 16 3,416 4 3,520 
			 Merseyside 3 1,420 2 4,400 
			  
			 All regions 492 149,099 78 172,923

Television Licences

Tim Yeo: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the (a) number and (b) total cost of television licences paid for by her Department.

Rosie Winterton: Information on television licenses purchased by courts is not held centrally and total figures for the Lord Chancellor's Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Digital Television

Tim Yeo: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable are held by her Department for services in departmental buildings from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (ii) purpose.

Rosie Winterton: None.

Registered Enduring Powers of Attorney

Paul Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many registered enduring powers of attorney there were in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The total number of registered enduring powers of attorney was 55,710 in the year 2000 and 61,163 in the year 2001. The number of new applications for registered received was 12,340 in the year 2000 and 13,110 in the year 2001.

Digital Radios

Tim Yeo: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many digital radios are owned by her Department for use in departmental buildings from which Ministers work; and what the (a) cost and (b) date of purchase of each radio was.

Rosie Winterton: None.

Sex Offenders

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department under what circumstances schedule 1 sex offenders are allowed unsupervised contact with children.

Keith Bradley: holding answer 11 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	Schedule 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 is a list of cruelty, violent and sexual offences against children. This list has been used by various agencies as a way of identifying those committing these offences as posing a risk to children, although not all necessarily do so or do so currently. Some of those guilty of offences on the list, for example, may have committed the offence many years previously, may themselves have been children at the time and the offence may have, for example, involved a fight with another child of a similar age. Others convicted of offences on the list may have been engaged in mutually agreed sexual activity, albeit with someone under the age of legal consent, to whom they were relatively close in age. There are no specified requirements flowing from commission of an offence on Schedule 1 of this Act that prohibit offenders from having unsupervised contact with children. There are, however, other more recent means of achieving this and of protecting children from the risk that violent and sexual offenders pose.
	Those offenders sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment are released subject to a licence which can include, in relevant cases, a requirement not to have unsupervised contact with children. Breach of these conditions can result in a return to prison. Moreover, a similar prohibition can be included in a Sex Offender Order, for which the police can apply to magistrates' court with respect to a convicted sex offender whose current behaviour indicates they pose a risk of serious harm. Breaching the terms of the order may result in a maximum sentence of up to five years imprisonment.
	Part 2 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 provides for certain of those convicted of offences against children to be disqualified from seeking or taking employment, whether paid or unpaid, with children in the future.
	The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act also placed a statutory duty jointly on the policy and probation services to put arrangements in place for assessing and managing the risk posed by sexual and violent offenders. These arrangements enable a risk assessment to be undertaken and plans to be devised for managing the risk that such offenders pose.
	Despite these measures, it nonetheless remains important for parents to be vigilant about those to whom they entrust the care of their children, particularly when they are not present to ensure their safety.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Members' Pensions

Chris Ruane: To ask the President of the Council if he will make a statement on progress made on hon. Members' pensions.

Robin Cook: On 5 July 2001 the House considered the latest report of the SSRB on the parliamentary pension scheme. The House agreed to four of the eight recommendations of the SSRB and invited the trustees of the scheme to consider the remaining recommendations. The trustees are now reaching agreement on how to implement all eight recommendations, including extension of entitlement to unmarried partners and continuation of entitlement to surviving partners who have subsequently remarried. The trustees will be able to fund these improvements with no additional charge to Members.
	The House also voted to increase the accrual rate from 1/50th to 1/40th. The Government do not accept the proposal in the resolution that all the cost should fall on the Treasury. It has therefore referred the cost of this improvement to the SSRB and invited their advice on how it should be funded.
	The SSRB has been asked to report by 1 July. Thereafter the Government will table a statutory instrument giving effect to all recommendations of the SSRB.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Whitehall Refurbishment

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if outstanding orders of sapele timber for the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall have been cancelled;
	(2)  if he will set out the steps which he took to ensure that all timber for the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall derived from legally certified and sustainable sources;
	(3)  when, by whom, and on what basis, it was agreed that sapele timber would be used in the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall.

Christopher Leslie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 19 April 2002, Official Report, column 1251.
	My Department is currently, with Balfour Beatty, undertaking a full investigation and will report back to the House.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those regulatory impact assessments published during the latest six-month period.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are committed to ensuring that regulations are necessary, give effective protection, balance cost and risk, are fair and command public confidence. In accordance with this, we require Departments to produce and publish RIAs for all regulatory proposals likely to have an impact on business.
	I have presented to Parliament today a Command Paper listing RIAs published between 1 July and 31 December 2001. Copies of those listed have been placed in the House Libraries. This is the sixteenth such Command Paper.

Public Servants

Graham Allen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his definition is of the term wider public servants used in the Cabinet Office publication Taskforces and the Advisory Groups and Reviews published in October 2001; and whether it includes hon. Members.

Christopher Leslie: The definition wider public servant in the context of membership of taskforces refers to public sector employees who are not civil servants.
	There is nothing to prevent hon. Members being appointed to taskforces and other ad hoc advisory groups. Should that be the case, it would be recorded in the Taskforces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews: Annual Report, under the heading of wider public servant.

Public Bodies

Tony Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which public bodies have been (a) set up, (b) abolished, (c) announced but not yet established and (d) targeted for future abolition since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: Information on all public bodies is set out in the annual 'Public Bodies' publication. The most recent edition gave the position as of 31 March 2001, copies of this and earlier editions are in the Library of the House. Individual entries in 'Public Bodies' are qualified, where necessary, with a footnote indicating if the body, though announced, has not yet been set up or if it has been targeted for abolition.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pensions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what are the levels of pensions as a proportion of average weekly earnings in (a) the UK and (b) each other EU member state.

Ian McCartney: The most recent figures available date from 199495 (except those for Italy where they are from 199394). They do not take account of the fact that since 1997 this Department has taken a number of measures to improve the income of pensioners, particularly the poorest of this group. Over 2 million pensioners benefit from the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), currently 98.15 for a single pensioner and over 10 million pensioners benefited from the above inflation increases in basic Retirement Pension. Over 11 million Winter Fuel Payments, at a cost of around 1.7 billion, were sent out last winter.
	Since 1997 single pensioners in receipt of MIG, Winter Fuel Payments and free TV licences are at least 18.00 a week better off and pensioner couples have gained by more than 27.
	A further step is the Government's intention to introduce Pension Credit in October 2003. Around half of all pensioner households will be eligible for the Pension Credit5.1 million individual pensioners or 3.9 million pensioner households stand to gain (excludes those living in residential care and nursing homes). On average, they will gain 400 a year, with some getting up to 1,000 a year.
	It will get more money into pensioner's pockets and ensure that no single pensioner need live on less than 100 a week (154 a week for couples).
	The level of average UK pension income from all sources of income as a proportion of average weekly earnings is not available. The level as a proportion of population net income is 78 per cent.
	Information for other EU member states is available on the same basis. This is in the table.
	
		Percentage 
		
			  Country Pension Income as Proportion of Population Income 
		
		
			 France 90 
			 Sweden 89 
			 Austria 87 
			 Netherlands 86 
			 Germany 86 
			 Italy 84 
			 Finland 79 
			 Belgium 78 
			 UK 78 
			 Greece 77 
			 Ireland 75 
			 Norway 74 
			 Denmark 73 
		
	
	Notes:
	Data is for 1994 and 1995 except Italy, 1993.
	Quoted in 'Cross-country comparisons of pensioner's incomes'. Research report No. 142, DSS, p22.
	Source:
	Labour Market and Social PolicyOccasional Papers No. 42, OECD.

Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking in conjunction with the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority to monitor and control pension liberation schemes.

Ian McCartney: The Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and the Inland Revenue are working closely together to investigate a number of such cases that have been reported to them. It is important that any malpractice is identified quickly and eliminated. Meetings including officials from the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority, the Inland Revenue, the Financial Services Authority and my Department are being held, and my officials are keeping in close touch with the investigations.

Pensions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will list the countries in which UK recipients of the state retirement pension do not receive regular upratings; and what the estimated annual cost is of extension of upratings to each such country;
	(2)  for what reasons United Kingdom recipients of the state retirement pension resident abroad receive upratings in some countries and not others.

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which countries British pensioners living abroad (a) have and (b) do not have their pensions increased in line with inflation.

Ian McCartney: Annual upratings have never been generally paid abroad. Exceptions apply under the EC's Social Security Regulations, which apply to pensioners who have a UK pension living in the European Economic Area, and under reciprocal social security agreements with other countries, which allow for increases to be paid there. The countries with which the UK has reciprocal agreements which allow pension upratings to be paid are: Barbados, Bermuda, the Channel Islands, Cyprus, Israel, Jamaica, Malta, Mauritius, the Philippines, Switzerland, Turkey, the USA and the now separate republics of the former Federal Peoples Republic of Yugoslavia (the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina), Croatia, Slovenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Pensions are not uprated in any other country.
	To bring everyone up to the current rate they would receive if they had remained in the UK, but not to pay arrears, would cost around 400 million in 200203.
	Uprating is paid in some countries because the Government are either legally required to do so or have previously entered into reciprocal agreements to do so. However, the underlying intention of uprating is that it is meant to cover increases in the cost of living in this country.

Child Maintenance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the percentage difference in maintenance between the new child maintenance formula and the formula currently operated on standardised assumptions excluding departures and variations for the convenient steps of net income up to 104,000 per annum.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 March 2002
	The information is in the table.
	
		Percentage change in average maintenance assessment under new scheme, by net income
		
			  Net income () Change in average maintenance assessment (percentage) 
		
		
			 Under 10,000(17) 16.6 
			 10,000 to 20,000 -23.0 
			 20,000 to 30,000 -18.2 
			 30,000 to 40,000 -7.6 
			 Above 40,000 5.6 
			 All -11.2 
		
	
	(17) Includes non-resident parents on benefit who pay nothing in the current scheme.
	Source:
	5 per cent. scan of the Child Support Computer System, August 1998 so may not reflect current average assessments.

Correspondence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the target time will be in 200203 for (a) Ministers to reply to letters from hon. Members and (b) officials in his Department to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

Maria Eagle: Our aim is to reply as soon as possible to hon. Members who write to Ministers and members of the public who write to Ministers or the senior official with responsibility for operational issues within a maximum of 20 working days. We aim to reply as soon as possible to other letters received directly from members of the public within a maximum of 10 working days or 15 working days in the case of the Appeals Service.

Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letters dated 28 February and 3 April from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West.

Maria Eagle: I replied to the hon. Member on 29 April.

Digital Television

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the number of subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable television held by his Department for services in any departmental building from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (ii) purpose.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Department for Work and Pensions' access to television services in Richmond House is maintained by the Department of Health, as the major occupier for this building. I therefore refer you to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health [Ms Hazel Blears], on 23 April 2002, Official Report, column 272W.

Ministerial Travel

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times Ministers in his Department have travelled abroad at taxpayers' expense since March 2001; what countries they visited; and what the total cost of each visit was.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 9 April 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 11 April 2002, Official Report, column 552W.

Efficiency Savings

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the target has been in each of the last five years for efficiency savings as a percentage of total running costs for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible; and if the target was met.

Maria Eagle: The Department sponsors four executive non-departmental public bodies: the Disability Rights Commission; Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority; Pensions Compensation Board; and Remploy. Value for money is a key principle and overarching theme when the Department is agreeing targets on the efficiency and effectiveness of individual bodies' operations. Each body listed above produces an Annual Report which provides details of the organisation's operational and financial performance. Copies of these reports are available in the Library.

Jobcentres

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of time is spent by personal advisers (a) on advising on benefits claims and (b) advising job seekers.

Nick Brown: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive, Leigh Lewis. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Leigh Lewis to Miss Anne McIntosh dated April 2002
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the proportion of time spent by personal advisers on a) advising on benefits claims and b) advising job seekers. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	The main purpose of personal advisers is to help people move into or closer to work. Advisers therefore spend the majority of their time at interviews discussing jobs, training and other opportunities that are available to help people into work. As part of this, they will often provide information about Tax Credits and those benefits that people may receive when in work. More generally, depending on the circumstances of the person they are interviewing, personal advisers will seek to ensure that any questions or issues relating to benefits are satisfactorily resolved either by providing information or help themselves or by ensuring that it is provided by colleagues with the appropriate knowledge.
	I hope this is helpful.

Rent Service

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 16 April 2002, Official Report, column 888W, if he will place in the Library the information received from the Rent Service in support of its estimate of the likely increase in the number of localities following the Court of Appeal judgment on local reference rents in Stockport;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 16 April 2002, Official Report, column 888W, what organisations he consulted on the impact on the number of localities of the Court of Appeal judgment on local reference rents in Stockport; and if he will publish details of that advice.

Malcolm Wicks: We did not request a formal report from the Rent Service and none was provided. The likely increase in the number of localities was an informal estimate for England provided by the Rent Service at that time in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment.
	We did not consult any organisations about the impact on the number of localities following the Court of Appeal judgment. There was no need for such consultation because it was clear that had we not put new legislation in place, the increase in the number of localities following the Court of Appeal judgment would have proved unworkable for the Rent Service. Such an increase would have run counter to our policy that local reference rents should reflect the generality of the market and thus be based on broad geographical areas.

Rent Service

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many localities the Rent Service has used to determine local reference rents in each year since their introduction.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire on 24 April 2002, Official Report, column 340W.

Access to Work Scheme

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications have been made to the Access to Work scheme in the last five years; and whether the scheme will be open to those small employers who will be required to make adjustments prior to the extension of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in 2004.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 29 April 2002
	Between April 1996 and March 2001 37,236 disabled people have applied for and received Access to Work help 1 .
	Access to Work is available to disabled people in paid employment, whatever size of employer they work for, where they have additional employment needs resulting from disability. Focusing eligibility on the individual, rather than the employer, allows Access to Work to tailor help to meet the needs of the disabled person and to help an increasing number of disabled people to enter or remain in paid work each year.
	1 Source: DWP Access to Work Management Information.

Disability Discrimination Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what adjustments have been made to her Department's premises following the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and what the cost of these adjustments was as a proportion of the Department's budget.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 29 April 2002
	Since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 adjustments carried out to premises occupied by this department include installation of door bells, installation of induction loops, installation of some signage, marking of disabled parking bays, adjustments to counters, reconfiguration of public waiting areas to accommodate wheelchair access, improvements to external lighting and installation of access ramps.
	These works have been carried out as part of a planned programme to ensure that all buildings occupied under the PRIME contract comply with the requirements of DDA in advance of 2004. Under the terms of the PRIME PFI agreement, the costs of these adjustments are the responsibility of our private sector partner, Land Securities Trillium.
	For those buildings in the DWP estate not covered by the PRIME contract it has been recommended that work to ensure DDA compliance should be incorporated into existing and future refurbishment plans. Also, the department will require that all new property acquisitions are fully compliant with the Act.
	The costs of adjustments carried out solely in relation to the introduction of DDA are not recorded separately. The information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Benefits Decision Makers

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will remove the overall responsibility from decision makers on benefit entitlement to more senior officials; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: No. Decisions on benefit claims and applications are made by the Secretary of State. In practice he delegates this function to decision makers who are suitably trained and experienced. The seniority of the decision maker is not pertinent. The important point is whether the decision maker has the requisite skills to do the job to the required standard.

Income Support

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the ratio of income support and its precursor to basic retirement pension for a single person was in each of the last 30 calendar years.

Ian McCartney: The benefit system has undergone radical changes in the last 30 years. For this reason, it is not possible to compare like with like. From 1972 until 1988, supplementary benefit was in payment. The assessment of entitlement for supplementary benefit was complex, and the introduction of income support addressed and simplified this assessment. Income support continues to be paid through the minimum income guarantee. There were considerable differences between the benefits, for example, on some occasions, supplementary benefit was uprated twice a year. The figures quoted are based on benefit years (April to March) rather than calendar yearsrates may be different to published rates as they represent an average over the benefit year, eg in 2002 MIG was uprated on 9 April therefore we have assumed there were eight days when MIG was still at the old rate.
	For the purposes of this question, all figures quoted are in nominal terms for the appropriate year, eg 1972 rates are quoted in 1972 price terms and reflect the basic entitlement of a single pensioner aged 65 to 75.
	The information requested is in the table.
	
		Benefit rates by year from 1 April to 31 March
		
			   Supplementary benefit/MIG () Basic state pension (BSP) () Ratio MIG/BSP 
		
		
			 1972 6.72 6.37 1.05 
			 1973 7.65 7.25 1.06 
			 1974 9.71 9.31 1.04 
			 1975 12.61 12.21 1.03 
			 1976 14.45 14.05 1.03 
			 1977 16.53 16.13 1.02 
			 1978 18.66 18.26 1.02 
			 1979 21.36 20.96 1.02 
			 1980 24.91 24.65 1.01 
			 1981 28.02 28.02 1.00 
			 1982 30.70 30.76 1.00 
			 1983 33.20 33.28 1.00 
			 1984 34.65 34.65 1.00 
			 1985 36.31 36.65 0.99 
			 1986 37.77 38.57 0.98 
			 1987 38.64 39.49 0.98 
			 1988 43.90 41.10 1.07 
			 1989 46.05 43.54 1.06 
			 1990 48.45 46.83 1.03 
			 1991 53.31 51.90 1.03 
			 1992 57.10 54.12 1.06 
			 1993 61.17 56.04 1.09 
			 1994 63.88 57.56 1.11 
			 1995 65.07 58.82 1.11 
			 1996 67.01 61.11 1.10 
			 1997 68.77 62.43 1.10 
			 1998 70.43 64.67 1.09 
			 1999 74.86 66.69 1.12 
			 2000 78.36 67.48 1.16 
			 2001 91.85 72.39 1.27 
			 2002 98.15 75.50 1.30

Pension-related Benefits

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how much money would be accrued by the delay in payment of pension-related benefits by two years at age 67 years.

Ian McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 1011W.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Under-fives Provision (Liverpool)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding she has made available for provision for under- fives in Liverpool in each year since 1997; and how much she plans to make available in 200203.

Margaret Hodge: We have made a number of direct grant funding streams available to Liverpool local education for under fives' provision:
	early years education funding which will increase the number of free early education places available for three and four- year-olds and enhance the quality of the education provided;
	funding for the National Childcare Strategy. While this funding is not specifically targeted at under fives (the age range is 0 to 14) they will benefit from the increase in child care places that are being created. 3.4 million has also been made available for the provision of neighbourhood nurseries across the 200104 financial years;
	revenue funding for children under four in Liverpool through the Sure Start programme. Further revenue funding will be available in 200203 once the four fifth wave programmes receive approval. In addition, each of the eight Sure Start programmes in the city will receive up to 1 million of capital funding over its first five years.
	The table shows the amount of central Government funding made available to Liverpool local education authority for the provision of early years education, the National Childcare Strategy and Sure Start between the 199798 and 200102 financial years as well as estimates of the funding that will be available in the 200203 financial years.
	
		 
		
			  Early years education funding National childcare strategy Sure start revenue funding 
		
		
			 199798 5,629,524 N/A N/A 
			 199899 497,129 N/A N/A 
			 19992000 953,110 577,600 224,681 
			 200001 2,123,107 774,460 929,203 
			 200102 1,590,711 1,646,374 1,569,594 
			 200203(18) 1,965,548 1,032,650 2,409,882 
		
	
	(18) Allocation.
	Notes:
	In 199798, all four-year-old nursery education places were funded through specific grant. In 199899 only four-year-old places in the private, voluntary and independent sectors and new places in the maintained sector were funded through specific grant. Existing maintained places are funded by local authorities from their resources.
	Since 200102 four-year-old nursery education places have been funded by local education authorities from their resources.
	Specific funding for the provision of free early education places for three year olds was introduced in September 1999.

Head Teachers

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the new requirements (a) placed on and (b) removed from head teachers in the last year for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: The main changes to requirements on head teachers made during 200102 are as follows:
	During 200102, the right to mainstream education for children with special educational needs was strengthened. Where particular mainstream schools do not wish to educate children with statements of SEN, they will have to show that the education of such children is incompatible with the provision of efficient education for other children, and that there are no reasonable steps they can take to prevent this incompatibility. The revised SEN Code of Practice has been designed to decrease bureaucracy while improving the SEN framework. The Code includes guidance on the new duty for head teachers to ensure that a Transition Plan is drawn up for pupils with statements of SEN in year nine of their schooling.
	In 200102, head teachers prepared for the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting, which will benefit all schools by improving the framework for benchmarking, as well as streamlining financial administration. Head teachers had to implement modest changes to target setting for Key Stage 4. They also had to process claims for the Welcome Back Bonus, an incentive to encourage teachers returning to the profession.
	Administration of the Standards Fund was considerably simplified last year, so that head teachers and others had much less paperwork to contend with in securing additional funds for their schools. Moreover, for the first time it was possible to merge schools' annual reports with prospectuses, again freeing up valuable head teacher time.

Wanless Report

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the costs to further and higher education of the expansion of the NHS set out in the Wanless report.

Margaret Hodge: Following a review of the medical workforce, published in December 1997, and the commitments made in the NHS Plan in July 2000, the number of places available to study medicine in England will increase to almost 6,000 in 200506. Of the additional places, over 45 per cent. will be at new medical schools or centres of medical education. The report Securing Our Future Health: Taking A Long-Term View (the Wanless report) makes no recommendation for further increasing the number of students entering medical training. The cost of training nurses, midwives, health visitors and other health professionals is met by the NHS.

Sixth Forms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what formula the Learning and Skills Council uses to determine future funding for school sixth forms.

Margaret Hodge: The formula for funding school sixth forms is the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's chief executive, to write to the hon. Member providing the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Sixth Forms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many sixth forms the LSC expects to experience budget reductions in the current financial year.

Margaret Hodge: The LSC calculated two figures for each school sixth formwhat it would receive under the real terms guarantee which protects funding relative to the baseline year of 200001, depending on changes in pupil numbers; and what it would receive under the LSC's own funding formula, which reflects the nature and number of programmes being studied. The LSC allocation for the school is the higher of these two figures. Almost two thirds of schools are being funded under the LSC's formula in 200203, so are receiving more than they would under the real terms guarantee.
	The LSC notified LEAs of the sixth form funding allocations for their schools in early March. It was for LEAs to set overall budgets for all their schools by the end of March, incorporating the LSC allocations. Schools receive the funds from the LEA as one pot of money and are not required to account separately for the LSC allocation. However, LEAs are required under the rules of fair funding to ensure that schools receive for their sixth forms at least the real terms guarantee and one third of any difference between that and the LSC formula allocation, rising to the full amount by 2004.

Employers' National Insurance Contributions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received from British universities about the impact of the increase in employers' national insurance contributions.

Margaret Hodge: None.

Graduates

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information she collates on the average earnings of (a) graduates and (b) non-graduates with equivalent A-level or similar qualifications.

Margaret Hodge: Estimates of average gross weekly earnings by level of qualification are regularly obtained from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). On average, people with a first degree or higher qualification earn over 40 per cent. more than those whose highest qualification is two or more A-levels or another Level 3 qualification. The table shows that in spring 2001, average gross weekly earnings for all graduates with at least a first degree were around 580, compared to 410 for non-graduates with a Level 3 qualification.
	
		Estimated average gross weekly earnings of graduates and non-graduates of working age in full-time employment
		
			 Highest qualification Average gross weekly earnings  
		
		
			 First degree or higher qualification 580 
			 2+ A-levels or another Level 3 qualification 410 
		
	
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey, spring 2001, GB figures

Work-based Learning

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure that the Learning and Skills Council has adequate funds to widen successful participation in work-based learning.

Margaret Hodge: The LSC's budget for 200203 is 7.3 billion, a 5.9 per cent. real terms increase on the previous year. This will enable the LSC to make progress towards its key targets. These include increasing the participation and achievement of young people in learning (including work based learning) and increasing the demand for learning by adults and employers. We have also increased the flexibility available to the LSC to meet its priorities by simplifying the budget structure and removing unnecessary restrictions on how the grant is spent. We have worked with the LSC to agree clear outcomes which include promoting equality by highlighting outcomes for under-represented groups in work-based learning.
	The Government have contributed substantial financial support for Modern Apprenticeships (MAs). Between 1997 and 2002 over 3.7 billion has been allocated to Government-supported work-based learning, of which it is estimated that in excess of 1 billion has been used to support MAs. As a result of this investment, the number of young people on MAs has risen from 75,000 in 1997 to over 220,000 today. We are investing an additional 180 million over three years 200104 to support and further develop MAs, a clear sign of the importance we attach to their role in raising skills levels in the workplace, and in offering young people high quality vocational and work-related options for post-16 learning. The Government and the LSC recently agreed a target of over a quarter of young people between the age of 16 and 21 entering MAs by 2004 and the LSC will have sufficient funds to meet this target.

Work-based Learning

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with the Adult Learning Inspectorate on the use of unpublished benchmarks to measure achievement in work-based learning.

Margaret Hodge: There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (the ALI) about benchmarks. In her January 2002 grant letter to the chair of the ALI the Secretary of State expressed concern about the downward trend in inspection grades awarded to providers for work-based learning. To investigate the reasons the Department commissioned the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) to carry out a research study. When finalised, we will consider the evidence and take appropriate action. This will include reviewing how we measure achievement in work based learning.

Work Force Development

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects the Learning and Skills Council to publish its work force development strategy; and which organisations have been consulted in the preparation of the strategy.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the council's chief executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Work Force Development

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of referrals from Business Links to local learning and skills councils in respect of work force development requirements of small and medium sized enterprises.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the council's chief executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Learning and Skills Council

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much on average the Learning and Skills Council will allocate in 200203 to each member of its staff for personal development purposes.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the council's chief executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Child Care

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Learning and Skills Council has to support the training of child carers for 200203.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the council's chief executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Child Care

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to support National Childcare Month.

Margaret Hodge: My Department is making available over 200,000 of sponsorship which is being channelled through the five major national child care and early years education organisations 1 . This will enable children, parents, staff including child minders and volunteers in local playgroups, out of school clubs and nurseries to highlight and celebrate the valuable services they provide in their communities.
	1 Daycare Trust, Kids' Clubs Network, National Childminding Association, National Day Nurseries Association and the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

Teachers' Salaries

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual increase in teachers' salaries has been in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: Annual increases in teachers' salaries to March of each of the years shown are as follows.
	
		
			   Increases 
		
		
			 1993 7.5 
			 1994 0.2 
			 1995 2.5 
			 1996 2.4 
			 1997 2.3 
			 1998 2.8 
			 1999 3.8 
			 2000 3.9 
			 2001 9.8 
			 2002 5.4 
		
	
	These figures reflect the effects of annual pay awards in April each year; of incremental drift caused by progression up pay scales and the recruitment of newly qualified teachers to replace teachers who retire; and of performance-related pay progression. The increases in the years to March 2000 are actual increases; those for 2001 and 2002 are estimates. Occasional and unqualified teachers are not included.

Citizenship Education

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are being taken to improve education for international understanding, as part of the UK programme of citizenship education.

Margaret Hodge: From September 2002, when citizenship becomes statutory in secondary schools, pupils will be taught about the world as a global community, and the political economic, environmental and social implications of this. Pupils will learn about the United Kingdom's relations in Europe, including the European Union, Commonwealth and the United Nations and the wider issues and challenges of global interdependence and responsibility.
	The DFES is funding organisations to produce resource materials to support schools. For example, we worked with Department for International Development (DfID) and the Development Education Association (DEA) to produce a guide Developing a Global Dimension in the school curriculum. In addition, detailed guidance produced by the QCA, sent to all secondary schools, include a unitDebating a global issue which encourages pupils to develop international understanding. The guidance is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/citizenship.

Higher Education

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she has introduced since 1997 to aid recruitment and retention of lecturers in higher education.

Margaret Hodge: The recruitment and retention of staff is the responsibility of higher education institutions. However, our spending plans for the English higher education sector include 50 million in 200102, rising to 110 million in 200203 and 170 million in 200304, to underpin the human resource strategies which institutions have drawn up, and which address recruitment and retention as well as the modernisation of reward systems.

School Budgets

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the proportion of a school's budget in the current financial year which is available as discretionary spending for the head teacher.

Stephen Timms: In general, it is for the governing body of each school to determine the extent to which authority to spend the public funds available to the school should be delegated to the head teacher. The proportion of a school's budget which is under the head's control will accordingly vary from school to school, and no statistical information on this point is collected by the Department.

Teachers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the reason for the change in the number of retirements due to ill-health by teachers since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The criteria governing entitlement to ill health retirement benefits were amended in 1997 to require that, despite appropriate treatment, applicants have a medical condition that would render them permanently incapable of undertaking any further teaching. In this context, permanent is defined as lasting at least up to the scheme's normal retirement age of 60. This replaced the previous less stringent criteria that required the presence of a medical condition that would prevent teaching only for the foreseeable future (defined as lasting at least 34 years).
	The Department also commissioned the Faculty of Occupational Medicine to produce occupational health guidance specifically aimed at the employers of teachers. This guidance was published in December 2000. The reduction in the number of ill health retirements since 1997 is therefore a consequence of a greater awareness among teachers' employers of the benefits of effective occupational health provision, including consideration of alternatives to ill-health retirement such as part-time working or redeployment to less demanding duties, and the more rigorous criteria governing entitlement to ill health retirement benefits.

Teachers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her written answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 572W, where such assets are held if the scheme is unfunded.

Stephen Timms: The valuation of the Teachers' Pension Scheme is conducted on a notional basis. There are no tangible assets, but in carrying out the valuation the Government Actuary calculates what the assets of the scheme would have been if a real fund had been in existence.

Teachers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what happens to the money paid by teachers and employers as pension contributions if their pension fund is unfunded.

Stephen Timms: Contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme by teachers and their employers are paid into the Exchequer and used to defray the cost of paying benefits under the scheme.

School Attendance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many prosecutions have taken place for non-attendance at school in each year since 1997; how many have resulted in convictions; and what sentences were passed.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Information on prosecutions brought under Education Act 1996, section 444 failing to secure regular attendance at school, will be available for the first time in 'Criminal Statistics for England  Wales 2001' which will be published by the Home Office in September of this year. This section of the Act has only come onto the criminal statistics code book for 2001; previously it was grouped within all prosecutions under the Education Act 1996 and it is not possible to separate the different sections of the Act.

School Provision

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what circumstances the obligations under education legislation (a) to provide schooling and (b) for parents to ensure school attendance may be disapplied for children of compulsory school age resident in the United Kingdom.

Ivan Lewis: Local Education authorities are obligated to provide suitable education for all children of compulsory school age at school or otherwise than at school under the Education Act 1996 (sections 13, 14 and 19 as amended).
	The parent of every child of compulsory school age is obligated to cause him to receive suitable full-time education either by regular attendance at school or otherwise (Education Act 1996 section 7). If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, his parent is guilty of an offence. However the child shall not be taken to have failed to attend regularly under the circumstances outlined in the Education Act 1996 section 444 subsections (3) to (6).

Local Education Authority Funding

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 23 April 2002, Official Report, columns 16367W, on LEA funding, what the comparable figures are for each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested in respect of the financial years 19992000 and 200001 has been placed in the Library. Because of the changes in the structure of the school funding system which took effect in April 1999, it is not possible to provide corresponding figures for previous years.

Local Education Authority Funding

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what post-16 budget support grant is payable to each local education authority in England; and in each case what the category is under which the grant is payable.

Stephen Timms: The table shows the post-16 budget support grant payable to each local education authority in categories 1a, 1b and 2. Because Category 3 grant depends on adjustments to be made to Learning and Skills Council grant during the course of 200203, the amount of that grant cannot be given. (The information given on categories 1 and 2 supersedes that given to the Second Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation on 30 April).
	
		Post-16 budget support grant --  million
		
			   Category  
			 LEA 1a 1b 2 Total 
		
		
			 201 City of London 0 0 0 0 
			 202 Camden 0 0 0 0 
			 203 Greenwich 0 0 0.451 0.451 
			 204 Hackney 0 0 0 0 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 0 0 0 
			 206 Islington 0 0 0 0 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 0.075 0 0 0.075 
			 208 Lambeth 0 0 0 0 
			 209 Lewisham 0 0 0 0 
			 210 Southwark 0 0 0 0 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 0 0 0 0 
			 212 Wandsworth 0 0 0 0 
			 213 Westminster 0 0 0 0 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 0 0 
			 302 Barnet 0.800 0 0 0.800 
			 303 Bexley 0 0 0 0 
			 304 Brent 0 0 0 0 
			 305 Bromley 0.457 0 0.064 0.522 
			 306 Croydon 0 0 0 0 
			 307 Ealing 0 0.146 0.228 0.374 
			 308 Enfield 0 0 0 0 
			 309 Haringey 0 0 0 0 
			 310 Harrow 0 0 0 0 
			 311 Havering 0 0 0 0 
			 312 Hillingdon 0 0 0 0 
			 313 Hounslow 0 0 0 0 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 0.129 0 0.008 0.137 
			 315 Merton 0 0.110 0 0.110 
			 316 Newham 0 0 0 0 
			 317 Redbridge 0 0 0 0 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 0 0 
			 319 Sutton 0 0 0 0 
			 320 Waltham Forest 0 0 0 0 
			 330 Birmingham 0 0 0.223 0.223 
			 331 Coventry 0 0 0.656 0.656 
			 332 Dudley 0 0 0 0 
			 333 Sandwell 0 0 0.044 0.044 
			 334 Solihull 0 0 0 0 
			 335 Walsall 0 0 0 0.000 
			 336 Wolverhampton 0 0.060 0.180 0.240 
			 340 Knowsley 0 0 0 0 
			 341 Liverpool 0 0 0 0 
			 342 St. Helens 0 0 0 0 
			 343 Sefton 0.561 0 0 0.561 
			 344 Wirral 0 0.208 0 0.208 
			 350 Bolton 0 0 0 0 
			 351 Bury 0 0 0 0 
			 352 Manchester 0 0 0 0 
			 353 Oldham 0 0 0 0 
			 354 Rochdale 0 0 0 0 
			 355 Salford 0 0 0 0 
			 356 Stockport 0 0 0 0 
			 357 Tameside 0 0 0 0 
			 358 Trafford 0 0 0 0 
			 395 Wigan 0 0 0 0 
			 370 Barnsley 0 0 0 0 
			 371 Doncaster 0.111 0 0 0.111 
			 372 Rotherham 0 0 0.116 0.116 
			 373 Sheffield 0 0 0 0 
			 380 Bradford 0 0 0 0 
			 381 Calderdale 0 0.457 0 0.457 
			 382 Kirklees 0 0 0 0 
			 383 Leeds 0 0 0 0 
			 384 Wakefield 0 0 0 0 
			 390 Gateshead 0 0.109 0 0.109 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 0 0 0.282 0.282 
			 392 North Tyneside 0.223 0 0 0.223 
			 393 South Tyneside 0 0 0 0 
			 394 Sunderland 0 0.029 0 0.029 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 0.426 0 0 0.426 
			 801 Bristol, city of 0 0 0 0 
			 802 North Somerset 0 0 0 0 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 0.931 0.505 0 1.437 
			 805 Hartlepool 0 0 0 0 
			 806 Middlesbrough 0 0 0 0 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 0 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 0 0 0 0 
			 810 Kingston upon Hill, city of 0 0 0 0 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 0.575 0 0 0.575 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 
			 815 North Yorkshire 1.093 0 0 1.093 
			 816 York 0.316 0 0 0.316 
			 820 Bedfordshire 0 0 0.190 0.190 
			 821 Luton 0 0 0 0 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 0 0 0.080 0.080 
			 826 Milton Keynes 0 0 0 0 
			 830 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 
			 831 Derby 0 0 0 0 
			 835 Dorset 1.222 0 0 1.222 
			 836 Poole 0.301 0 0 0.301 
			 837 Bournemouth 0 0 0 0 
			 840 Durham 0 0 0 0 
			 841 Darlington 0 0 0 0 
			 845 East Sussex 0 0 0.149 0.149 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 0 0 0 0 
			 850 Hampshire 0 0 0.010 0.010 
			 851 Portsmouth   0 0 
			 852 Southampton 0 0 0 0 
			 855 Leicestershire 1.731 0.114 0 1.844 
			 856 Leicester 0 0 0 0 
			 857 Rutland 0 0 0 0 
			 860 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0.000 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 0 0 0 0 
			 865 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 
			 866 Swindon 0 0 0 0 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 0 0 0 0 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 0.010 0.010 
			 869 West Berkshire 0 0.254 0.042 0.297 
			 870 Reading 0 0 0 0 
			 871 Slough 0 0 0 0 
			 872 Wokingham 0 0 0 0 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0.094 0.094 
			 874 Peterborough 0.428 0 0 0.428 
			 875 Cheshire 0.387 0 0 0.387 
			 876 Halton 0 0 0 0 
			 877 Warrington 0 0 0 0 
			 878 Devon 0.625 0 0 0.625 
			 879 Plymouth 0 0 0 0 
			 880 Torbay 0 0 0 0 
			 881 Essex 0 0 0.243 0.243 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 0 0 0 0 
			 883 Thurrock 0 0 0 0 
			 884 Herefordshire 0 0 0 0 
			 885 Worcestershire 0.536 0.242 0 0.778 
			 886 Kent 0 0 0.479 0.479 
			 887 Medway 0.041 0 0.138 0.179 
			 888 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 0 0 0 0 
			 890 Blackpool 0 0 0 0 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 
			 892 Nottingham 0 0 0 0 
			 893 Shropshire 0 0 0 0 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 0 0 0 0 
			 908 Cornwall 0 0 0 0 
			 909 Cumbria 0.470 0 0.009 0.478 
			 916 Gloucestershire 0 0.397 0 0.397 
			 919 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 
			 921 Isle of Wight 0 0 0 0 
			 925 Lincolnshire 0 0 0.041 0.041 
			 926 Norfolk 0 0 0.159 0.159 
			 928 Northamptonshire 0 0 0.081 0.081 
			 929 Northumberland 0.568 0.300 0.010 0.877 
			 931 Oxfordshire 0 0 0.014 0.014 
			 933 Somerset 0 0 0 0 
			 935 Suffolk 0.466 0 0 0.466 
			 936 Surrey 0 0 0 0 
			 937 Warwickshire 0.672 9 0.024 0.696 
			 938 West Sussex 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Grand total 13.144 2.930 4.025 20.099

Truancy (Surrey)

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy figures are for secondary schools in Surrey for each year since 1997; and how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for non-attendance at these schools there have been since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Unauthorised absence for maintained secondary schools in Surrey is as follows:
	
		Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absences
		
			 Year Percentage 
		
		
			 199697 0.4 
			 199798 0.4 
			 199899 0.5 
			 19992000 0.7 
			 200001 1.0 
		
	
	As part of their local public service agreement, agreed with the Government in April 2001, Surrey local authority have chosen to have a target to reduce the percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence in primary and secondary schools.
	Information on prosecutions brought under Education Act 1996, section 444 failing to secure regular attendance at school, will be available for the first time in 'Criminal Statistics for England and Wales 2001' which will be published by the Home Office in September of this year. This section of the Act has only come on to the criminal statistics code book for 2001; previously it was grouped within all prosecutions under the Education Act 1996 and it is not possible to separate the different sections of the Act.

Selection (Schools)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of the relative performance of non-selective schools in areas with grammar schools, by comparison with comprehensives.

Stephen Timms: None. An assessment carried out two years ago comparing the performance at GCSE of pupils at grammar schools and their equivalent ability cohort in comprehensive schools showed a modest advantage to the latter.

HEALTH

NHS Pay

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Royal College of Surgeons, (b) BMA and (c) Royal College of Nursing over pay; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department of Health is currently negotiating new contracts for consultants and other NHS staff involving the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing. A framework agreement for the new General Medical Services contract was negotiated between the NHS Confederation and the BMA's GP Committee and was published for consultation on 19 April 2002.

NHS Consultants

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants were working in the NHS in 1997; and what the latest available figure is.

Yvette Cooper: In 1997, there were 21,370 consultants working in the national health service. The latest census figures (September 2001) show that there are now 25,690 working in the NHS, an increase of 20 per cent.

Harassment

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of sexual abuse and harassment have been reported since the NHS guidance Safety, privacy and dignity in mental health units was issued in June 2000.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold this information centrally, but in line with the Department's guidance issued in June 2000, there should be monitoring and recording of all incidents of violence or threatening behaviour at trust level and the board will monitor all complaints to enable identification of problems relating to the safety and dignity of patients.

Patient Lists

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the right of GPs to remove patients from their list.

John Hutton: General practitioners have the right to remove patients from their list but in so doing they should comply with the guidance provided by the General Medical Council. Patients should be removed only as a last resort and GPs should as far as possible give reasons for the removal. Changes to the procedures for removing patients from GP lists are being renegotiated as part of the new contract for GPs.

Child Protection

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals are in place to develop the roles of Area Child Protection Committees.

Jacqui Smith: The role of Area Child Protection Committees (ACPCs) is set out in Government guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children published in December 1999. We are aware that the Victoria Climbie Inquiry is discussing the role of ACPCs as part of phase two of the inquiry and we await the report of the inquiry, later this year, with interest.

Anti-smoking Measures

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to promote the use of laser therapy to assist smoking cessation.

Yvette Cooper: This Government are committed to promoting effective interventions that are proven to help people stop smoking. At present we are not aware of robust scientific evidence which shows that laser therapy helps people to quit.

NHS Management

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will reduce the number of management priorities set for the NHS.

John Hutton: Yes. The Planning and Priorities Framework issued for 200203 contained a reduced number of priorities compared with previous years.

NHS Staff

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to increase recruitment and retention of NHS staff.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are implementing a range of measures to improve recruitment and retention of all staff. These include improved pay, support for flexible working and child care, increasing training commissions and reducing student attrition. This work is being supported by national and local recruitment and return to practice campaigns.

NHS Staff

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage more people to become nurses and doctors.

John Hutton: Annual national recruitment campaigns have succeeded in raising the profile of careers in the NHS and promote the NHS as an employer of choice.
	Trusts and Workforce Development Confederations build on national advertisement material targeting people of all ages.
	NHS careers provides information on careers and flexible entry routes.

Pharmacists

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on dispensing fees for pharmacists.

Hazel Blears: The current basic dispensing fee is 94.6 pence per prescription item.

Residential Homes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds for elderly people there were in residential homes in (a) May 1997 and (b) April 2002.

Jacqui Smith: On 31 March 1997 there were some 261,600 places for older people in residential care homes. The number of places on 31 March 2001 was 260,100, a reduction of 0.5 per cent.

Haemophiliacs

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of recombinant treatment to adults with haemophilia.

Yvette Cooper: Recombinant clotting factors are provided in England for new haemophilia patients and children under 16 (from April 1998). The United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctor's Organisation has advised that recombinant clotting factors are available to those who are eligible to receive them.

Small Pharmacies Scheme

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on future funding levels for the essential small pharmacies scheme.

Hazel Blears: The Essential Small Pharmacy Scheme supports pharmacies providing NHS pharmaceutical services in areas which might otherwise not be well served. We review regularly the terms and conditions and levels of allowances for the Scheme.

Looked-after Children

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Government plan to ensure more stability for looked-after children.

Jacqui Smith: Improving placement stability will be achieved by better assessment of need using the Government guidance Framework for Assessment of Children In Need and their Families, and by placing children in appropriate well-supported placements.
	In addition to the current work to maximise permanence through adoption, the Government is now carrying out 'Choice Protects', a review of commissioning placements and fostering services. This review aims to help councils deliver improved services for their looked after children.

Waiting Times

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been waiting 13 weeks or more to see a consultant; and what the figure was on 31 March 1997.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) earlier today.

NHS Dental Services (Lancashire)

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on NHS dental service provision in Lancashire.

Jacqui Smith: Since the beginning of October last year, Ministers have replied to three Parliamentary Questions and one letter from an hon. Member on this subject.

NHS Debt

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the increase in funding for the NHS announced in the Budget will be used to write off the debts of those health authorities and NHS trusts that are in debt.

John Hutton: No.
	Resources will continue to be allocated on the basis of the relative needs of Primary Care Trust populations.
	It will be used to build capacity to allow more patients to be treated and more people cared for more quickly and to higher standards.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards a reduction in hospital-acquired infections.

Yvette Cooper: For the first time this February we published methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus rates for all English acute hospital trusts. This will provide a baseline to measure improvements in hospital acquired infection. A range of actions to reduce HAI is under way and a targeted action plan is being developed as part of the infectious disease strategy.

Patient Referral

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will restore patients' rights to seek referral by their general practitioners for publicly funded treatment in any NHS hospital.

John Hutton: Previous arrangements only gave some general practitioners, not patients, choice over where patients were treated. We are committed to giving all patients choice, for the first time, over where and when they are treated. By 2005, all patients, together with their GPs, will be able to choose the date, time and place of their treatment.
	Through the additional resources made available to the national health service each year, we are demonstrating our commitment by piloting patient choice from July 2002. Funding for the NHS announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer further demonstrates this commitment.

Hospices

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase funding for hospices to compensate for higher national insurance contributions.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are making an extra 50 million available for specialist palliative care, including hospices by 2004. This investment must be based on locally agreed strategic plans for palliative care. We are monitoring progress in providing this extra investment. We would expect the national health service to take all matters including national insurance contributions into consideration when deciding the level of funding for hospices.

Hospices

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of in-patient hospice services are provided by the independent charitable sector.

Yvette Cooper: About 80 per cent. of all in-patient specialist palliative care beds are provided in voluntary hospices.

NHS Dentistry

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives are given to dentists to practise within the NHS in socially deprived areas.

Hazel Blears: Health authorities have the power to commission local personal dental services contracts with dentists. This provides for the occasional treatment of non-registered patients and is particularly useful in making up shortfalls in urgent treatment. The Government supported this scheme with over 1 million funding in 200102 and we are currently considering ways of building on this provision during 200203.
	This is an especially valuable service to patients in deprived areas where registrations with dentists are particularly low. In addition, dental access centres are increasing opportunities for employment of salaried dentists in a number of socially deprived areas.

NHS Dentistry

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults in England are registered with an NHS dentist.

Hazel Blears: 60 per cent. of children and 43 per cent. of adults were registered with a General Dental Service (GDS) dentist in England at 28 February 2002.

NHS Dentistry

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS dental services.

Hazel Blears: Arrangements are now in place to ensure that patients can gain access to National Health Services simply by calling NHS Direct. This means that even if a patient chooses not to register with a dentist it will still be possible for that patient to access all forms of dentistry that are provided by the NHS.
	Over the last 18 months we have spent 100 million on modernising NHS dentistry. 10 million of this was for the dental care development fund and the dentistry action plan fund to support local plans to improve access. This money enables health authorities to assist dentists seeking to set up new practices and to expand and modernise existing ones.
	The modernising project Options for Change is looking at all aspects of the delivery of dental care, and has involved the profession at a high level throughout.
	Officials have developed a positive relationship with the profession, and are continuing to work with them to improve the remuneration system, and provide incentives for dentists to remain in the NHS. This year the commitment payment scheme, which has been well received by the profession, was extended to include dentists with five years of service in the NHS.

Senior Health Managers

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to establish an international centre of excellence for the training of senior health managers.

John Hutton: The NHS Modernisation Agency and NHS Leadership Centre provide leading edge training for senior health managers and clinicians drawing on national and international experts in the fields of leadership development, strategic change management and service redesign. Close links are being made with the National Health Service University as it develops its curriculum.

Property Prices

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of rising property prices on the number of private nursing and residential care homes.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is funding the personal social services research unit to examine the reasons behind home closures. The most commonly cited cause was found to be business failure. Among the other factors identified was the high value of property, making it attractive for care home owners to cash in their investments.
	As announced on 17 April by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we are increasing the resources for personal social services by an annual average of 6 per cent. in real terms from 200304 to 200506. Local authorities will be able to use these substantial extra resources to stabilise the care home market and to enable them to pay fair and realistic fee levels.

Alcohol Abuse

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the costs to the national health service in this financial year of alcohol abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Three independent studies have been undertaken looking at the costs of alcohol abuse.
	In 1987 a study by Godfrey and Maynard estimated the cost to the National Health Service was 400 million. A further study by Godfrey and Hardman in 1994 estimated the cost to the NHS in 1992 was around 200 million. The most recent study by the Royal College of Physician published in 2001 estimated the cost as 3 billion.

Alcohol Abuse

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on steps he is taking to deal with alcohol abuse and its impact on health services.

Hazel Blears: We are undertaking a number of initiatives to reduce alcohol misuse, for the benefit of both patients and public services. These include work on health promotion and education, the piloting of a new alcohol training course for general practitioners and practice nurses to help them to support patients who need to cut down on their alcohol consumption, the funding of nearly 500 alcohol treatment services in England and cracking down on violence towards NHS staff through the NHS zero tolerance zone campaign. The national strategy to tackle alcohol misuse, which the Department will be implementing by 2004, will also consider the impact of alcohol misuse on the public services and wider society.

Alcohol Abuse

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of alcohol care services.

Hazel Blears: A recent study carried out for the Department indicated that there were nearly 500 alcohol treatment services in England. The provision of alcohol treatment services is principally a local matter. Primary care trusts carry out assessments of local need and commission services to meet that need.

Dispensing Fees

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on dispensing fees for pharmacists.

Hazel Blears: The current basic dispensing fee is 94.6 pence per prescription item.

Maternity Statistics

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what maternity statistics the Government plan to publish; and by what means and when user organisations will be involved in discussions on this.

Yvette Cooper: The third in the series of statistical bulletins NHS Maternity Statistics, England, covering data for the years 199899 to 200001, was published in April 2002. This contained similar information to that in the second bulletin, NHS Maternity Statistics, England, 199596 to 199798, which is available in the Library and also on the website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/ public/sb0114.htm.
	Following publication it is planned to consult the health statistics users' group regarding the content of future bulletins.
	The NHS Maternity Statistics bulletin is produced by the Department and summarises information from the Hospital Episodes (HES) System relating to NHS maternities in England. It contains information such as labour onset method and delivery method, including caesarean rates, at hospital/trust level. It also has regional information about the place of delivery, length of stay in hospital, use of episiotomy, type of anaesthetic used, and national information for numbers of singleton and multiple deliveries by birthweight and gestation and day of week of delivery. Tables also show percentages of pregnancies and deliveries with antenatal and postnatal problems by diagnosis and delivery method and similar tables for problems with the newborn.
	The first bulletin was published in December 1997 and covered the first six years of maternity HES 198990 to 199495. The second bulletin published in June 2001 covered data for the next three years 199596 to 199798. Data for 199899 to 200001 was published in April 2002. It is expected that the bulletin will then be published annually.

Variant CJD

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has assessed the costs to the NHS of instruments destroyed following the CJD incident panel consultation report.

Hazel Blears: The CJD Incident Panel consultation is not yet complete. An open meeting is planned on 17 April 2002 to discuss the results of the public consultation process.
	Information on national health service instruments destroyed or removed from general circulation is not routinely collected. Nevertheless, based on Panel advice to date, the Department is aware of the destruction of three pairs of NHS forceps, together valued at approximately 100. This does not take account of action taken by individual trusts on their own initiative in cases where the panel's advice has not been formally sought.

Health Checks (Over-75s)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve take-up of over-75 health checks.

Jacqui Smith: The Department will review the effectiveness of the over-75 health check, and the relationship to the single assessment process for older people, in the light of results from comprehensive research commissioned by the Department and the Medical Research Council. Findings will be reported in 2003.

Cataract Operations

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reduction in waiting times for cataract operations there has been in South Staffordshire since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The table shows information on ophthalmology in-patient waiting times for South Staffordshire health authority. (Ophthalmology data include cataract operations).
	
		Ophthalmology waiting lists for South Staffordshire health authority
		
			  Over 18 months Over 15 months Over 12 months 
		
		
			 199798 0 0 31 
			 199899 0 0 29 
			 19992000 0 0 107 
			 200001 0 0 23 
			 200102 0 0 0 
			 Reduction on 1997 (percentage)   100 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health

Medical Services

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve access to medical services for individuals whose first language is not English.

Hazel Blears: The NHS Plan recognises that we live in a diverse society and sets out as core principles that the national health service will shape its services around the needs of the patient, be responsive to the needs of different groups and individuals within society and challenge discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexuality.
	The NHS Plan sets out a target of having translation and interpreting services available throughout the country by 2003. The Department has designated NHS Direct as the gateway to the whole NHS for those whose first language is not English by 2003. These services will be a pivotal building block in achieving the patient-centred services envisaged in the NHS Plan and the targets set in the national service frameworks. The development of telephone based support via NHS Direct and organisations such as language line (used in the NHS walk-in centres) offer alternatives to help with the delivery of languages needed in a co-ordinated way.
	The vital connection also sets out the need for local health and other organisations to develop integrated communication strategies as part of the health improvement and modernisation plans.
	Also, the NHS Plan includes a commitment that from 2002 it will be a pre-condition of qualification to delivering care in the NHS, that an individual has demonstrated competence in communications with patients. Plans to deliver on this target include the development of core curriculum in communication skills.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that the local health service reflects the needs of local communities.

Accident Response Times

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response times were for the medical services to reach an accident on (a) a motorway and (b) an A-road in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave her on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 456W.

Departmental Functions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the functions of his Department that have been (a) market tested and (b) outsourced in each of the last five years, specifying the (i) money saving and (ii) percentage saving in each case.

Hazel Blears: The Department ran market-testing programmes in 1995 and 1997, which generated substantial savings.
	Market testing was subsequently replaced by Better Quality Services (BQS) initiative in July 1998, which was introduced to ensure that all services provided by central Government are regularly reviewed and that action is taken to achieve improvements.

Hospital Admissions

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many in-patient admissions there were to Shropshire hospitals in (a) 199798, (b) 199899, (c) 19992000 and (d) 200001.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 21 March 2002
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 
		
		
			 Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust 50,947 53,611 53,845 54,489 
			 Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust 23,288 24,311 25,660 26,418 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 7,148 8,431 8,832 9,307 
			 Shropshire Community and Mental Health Services NHS Trust 1,680 4,449 4,297 4,301

Child and Family Support Service

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in the Child and Family Support Service.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the whole-time equivalent number of staff employed by councils with social services responsibilities in England in relation to child and family support services at 30 September 2001 is shown in the table. These figures exclude central and strategic staff and certain other categories of staff who provide more generic services across the range of council responsibilities. No information is available centrally on the numbers of people in the private and voluntary sectors who are providing services to children and families on behalf of councils with social services responsibilities.
	
		Staff employed by councils with social services responsibilities in England on child and family support serviceswhole time equivalent at 30 September 2001
		
			 Type of staff Number 
		
		
			 Area office staff (including social work staff) 21,380 
			   
			 Day care staff  
			 Family centres 3,715 
			 Nurseries and play groups 2,260 
			   
			 Residential care staff  
			 Children with learning disabilities 2,045 
			 Community homes for children looked after 8,685 
			 Occupational therapists 105 
		
	
	Source:
	Form SSDS001, annual return of staff employed in social services departments made by local authorities to the Department of Health.

Hospitals (Shropshire)

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the budgets for (a) the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, (b) the Princess Royal hospital, Telford and (c) the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital in each year since 1995.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 March 2002
	Budgets for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust, the Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt NHS Trust from 1998 to 2001.
	
		000 
		
			Trust  
			 Financial year Princess Royal Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Royal Shrewsbury Total 
		
		
			 199899 36,212 25,723 69,406 131,341 
			 19992000 40,216 30,447 84,600 155,263 
			 200001 43,770 32,077 80,280 156,127 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual accounts of the Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust, the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital NHS Trust and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Trust.
	The budgets have been assumed to be the total income of the trusts during the financial years for which information is readily available.

Smoking

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of adults smoked in each year since 1992 (a) in total and (b) by social class.

Yvette Cooper: Smoking prevalence among the adult population (persons aged 16 and over) in England is measured by the General Household Survey; figures are available by manual and non-manual socio-economic group.
	The latest results available are from the 2000 survey. In surveys prior to 2000, the results have been presented as unweighted data to compensate for under- representation of people in some groups. Therefore, 1998 data have been presented in the table as both weighted and unweighted to allow for comparisons between 1992 to 1998 (unweighted) and 1998 to 2000 (weighted).
	
		Prevalence of cigarette smoking since 1992All persons, and by whether household reference person is in a non-manual or manual socio-economic group(19): 1992 to 2000, England -- Percentage
		
			  Unweighted Weighted  
			 Persons aged 16 and over 1992(21) 1994(21) 1996(21) 1998 1998 2000 
		
		
			 Non-manual 23 21 22 21 22 23 
			 Manual 33 32 34 32 33 31 
			
			 All persons 28 26 28 27 28 27 
		
	
	(19) Head of household in years before 2000. Persons whose head of household/household reference person was in the armed forces or a full-time student are not shown as separate categories, but are included in the totals.
	(20) Trend tables show unweighted and weighted figures for 1998 to allow for direct comparison between 1998 and 2000 and to give an indication of the effect of the weighting.
	(21) Figures for 1992 to 1996 are taken from the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin Statistics on Smoking: England, 1978 onwards.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics Living in Britian: results from the 2000 General Household Survey
	London Stationery Office

Whistleblowers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that district general nurses have protection if they blow the whistle on care homes that are suspected of failing standards.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 26 March 2002
	We expect a climate of openness and dialogue in the national health service and a culture and environment that encourages staff to feel able to raise concerns about healthcare matters sensibly and responsibly without fear of victimisation.
	Guidance issued in Health Service Circular (HSC) 1999/198 on 27 August 1999 reinforced the above message. The HSC stated that all NHS trusts and health authorities are expected to issue guidance to staff so that they know how to raise concerns in a reasonable and responsible way. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) gives significant statutory protection to employees who disclose information reasonably and responsibly in the public interest and are victimised as a result.
	All employees would be protected for raising concerns with their employees under PIDA. District general nurses who may be employed either by the NHS, a local authority or the private sector can now raise concerns with the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) who is responsible for inspecting the quality of service provided in a variety of care establishments.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total savings to public funds of the Private Finance Initiative contract for the Energy Management Scheme for the North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust by comparison with a non-Private Finance Initiative alternative.

Hazel Blears: The business case justifying the individual schemes estimated the net savings in present value terms (ie all future costs and benefits discounted to their present values) compared with publicly funding the scheme as follows:
	
		Net present costs of PSC v PFI option -- 000s
		
			  Trust PFI Public (22)Savings Difference 
		
		
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 3,914 4,340 426 11% 
		
	
	(22) In net present value terms.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total savings to public funds of the Private Finance Initiative contract for the Graylingwell hospital reprovision for the Sussex Weald and Downs NHS Trust by comparison with a non-Private Finance Initiative alternative.

Hazel Blears: The business case justifying the individual schemes estimated the net savings in present value terms (ie future costs and benefits discounted to their present values) compared with publicly funding the scheme as follows:
	
		Net present costs of PSC v PFI option -- 000s
		
			 Trust PFI Public (23)Savings Difference 
		
		
			 West Sussex Health and Social Care NHS Trust 3,772 3,491 281 7.45% 
		
	
	(23) In net present value terms.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total savings to public funds of the Private Finance Initiative contract for the Patient Management Centre for the North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust by comparison with a non-Private Finance Initiative alternative.

Hazel Blears: The business case justifying the individual schemes estimated the net savings in present value terms (ie all future costs and benefits discounted to their present values) compared with publicly funding the scheme as follows:
	
		Net present costs of PSC v PFI option -- 000s
		
			 Trust PFI Public (24)Savings Difference 
		
		
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 2,081 2,289 208 10% 
		
	
	(24) In net present value terms.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total savings to public funds of the private finance initiative contract for the MRI Scanner for the North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust by comparison with a non-private finance initiative alternative.

Hazel Blears: The business case justifying the individual schemes estimated the net savings in present value terms (ie all future costs and benefits discounted to their present values) compared with publicly funding the scheme as follows:
	
		North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust
		
			  Net present costs of PSC v. PFI option 
		
		
			 PFI (000) 2,487 
			 Public (000) 3,130 
			 Savings in net present value terms (000) 643 
			 Percentage difference 26

Parliamentary Questions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many staff were involved in each of the last three years in preparing draft answers to written parliamentary questions;
	(2)  what the cost was to his Department of answering written parliamentary questions in 2001; and how that cost was calculated.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Council on 17 April 2002, Official Report, column 929W.

Correspondence

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter of 11 March from the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West enclosing correspondence from Mrs. Galloway.

Hazel Blears: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 22 April.

NHS (Adverse Incidents)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to issue guidance to implement a new system for independent investigations and inquiries into adverse incidents in the NHS; and whether this will replace HSG (94) 27.

Hazel Blears: In the report Building a safer NHS for patients published in June 2000, the Department set out its proposals for a new system for managing and reporting adverse events in the national health service which involved patients. This guidance will be issued within the next 12 months.
	Health service guidelines (HSG) (94) 27 provides guidance for the health service on investigations into the care and circumstances of people in contact with specialist mental health services who commit homicide. Building a safer NHS for patients stated that such investigations would be covered in the new guidance; further guidance will be issued over the next year. In the meantime HSG (94) 27 remains in force.

Marfan Syndrome

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been invested in research into Marfan syndrome since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC's total spend on Marfan syndrome since 1997 is approximately 3.5 million.
	The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in health and social care. The Department also provides national health service support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that takes place in the NHS. Management of much of the research supported by national health service research and development funding is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department.
	Details of ongoing and recently completed research projects funded by, or of interest to, the NHS are available on the National Research Register (NRR) at www.doh.gov.uk/ research/nrr.htm. The NRR projects database show that there are currently two ongoing and 23 completed research projects related to Marfan syndrome.

Strokes and Dysphasia

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what speech therapy treatment is available to patients recovering from strokes and sufferers from dysphasia who are under 65 years of age in the New Forest; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Information on the location of local services is not collected centrally.
	We recognise that there is a need nationally for additional speech and language therapists. The NHS Plan, published in 2000, announced an increase in the number of training places for therapists and other health professionals, including speech and language therapists. By 2004 we intend to have established 4,450 more training places.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total level of Government funding for research specifically related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the last six years has been; and what percentage this represents of the Government's total commitment to medical research in the last six years.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friends the Members for Aberavon (Dr. Hywel Francis) and for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) today.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding went into research that is directly related to finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what percentage of the Government's annual medical research budget research on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy represented in the last 12 months;

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collated on total funding in each of the past three years for research on Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

Jacqui Smith: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Technology.
	In the last six years the Medical Research Council (MRC) has spent around 3.8 million on muscular dystrophy as a whole. It is not possible to pull out Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy spending from this total, as much of the work is basic in nature and could apply to all forms of the disease. This represents 0.2 per cent. of the MRC's gross expenditure over this period.
	MRC spending on muscular dystrophy research for 200102 is an estimated 950,000 which represents 0.24 per cent. of the total 394 million gross expenditure.
	MRC spend in muscular dystrophy research for the last three years is in the table:
	
		 
		
			  MRC spend 
		
		
			 19992000 587,000 
			 200001 1,108,000 
			 200102 950,000 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for 200102 are estimates only. The figure for 200001 is higher than the 920,000 previously notified in parliamentary questions, UIN numbers 37124 and 37125 which we replied to on 26 February 2002. The MRC has now been able to produce a revised figure for spending on muscular dystrophy.
	Clinical and laboratory services for Duchenne muscular dystrophy are available through existing networks of regional genetics centres. There has been an increased level of investment in genetic services in general. In his speech in April 2001 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a 30 million investment aimed at improving national health service genetics services, which families of people suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy will benefit from.
	The Department has provided support over the last decade to the umbrella charity the genetic interest group, of which the Duchenne family support group is a member organisation. This funding has been targeted to a range of initiatives intended to raise awareness of all inherited diseases.

Alcohol Awareness

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to raise awareness of the issue of alcohol consumption among children of primary school age.

Hazel Blears: Drug education, including alcohol education, in maintained schools is statutory part of the national curriculum. At Key Stage 2, 7 to 11-year-olds should learn that tobacco, alcohol and other drugs can have harmful effects.
	In addition to this, three years of focused effort has increased awareness among teachers and pupils of the dangers of alcohol misuse by:
	the production of guidance for schools;
	the launch of the joint Department of Health and Department of Education and Skills National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) in October 1999, of which drug, alcohol and tobacco education is a key component; and
	the publication of the Personal, Social and Health Education Framework (PSHE) in November 1999.

Alcohol Awareness

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government's alcohol strategy will include a framework for raising awareness of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption when pregnant.

Hazel Blears: We believe that it is important to ensure that women are aware of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy and we will certainly consider ways in which the national strategy to tackle alcohol misuse could be used to raise awareness.

Alcohol Consumption (Students)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had regarding binge drinking and excessive alcohol consumption among the UK student population; and what plans he has to limit the form and content of alcohol advertising.

Hazel Blears: The Government work closely with the alcohol industry and regularly conducts meetings with a wide range of organisations within the industry. The Portman Group, which represents a range of bodies, is closely involved in meetings with Ministers and departmental officials and is consulted on policy developments along with other interested bodies and individuals. Alcohol advertising is governed by a voluntary code of practise which works well and there are no current plans to limit the form or content of alcohol advertising. The code of practise ensures alcohol advertising is socially responsible, and does not specifically target young people. All authorities operate complaints procedures.

Student Doctors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 8 January 2002, Official Report, column 674W, on student doctors, how many students who registered to study medicine degree courses, subsequently dropped out of their courses before completion.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 29 April 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The available information on non-completion rates is contained in Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). This gives an overall non-completion rate for all full-time first degree courses of 17 per cent., but this figure is not available for individual subjects. The UK has the second lowest dropout rate among OECD comparator courses.

Personal Allowances

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on augmenting the personal allowances from pensions payable in care homes to take into account the level of savings of the individual pensioner.

Jacqui Smith: We intend that pensioners in residential care and nursing homes will gain from pension credit as other pensioners do. The Department is currently considering the details for achieving this.

Ambulances

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many ambulances there are in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Coventry; and how many on average have been operational at any one time in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what measures he has taken since 1997 to increase the number of available ambulances.

Hazel Blears: Information on the number of ambulance vehicles, and the number that are operational at any one time, is not collected centrally.
	In 19992000, an additional 21 million was invested recurrently in additional frontline ambulance staff and vehicles.

Health Services (Solihull)

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate (a) the additional revenues accruing to Her Majesty's Government in national insurance contributions from the constituency of Solihull and (b) the additional resources which will be available to improve health services in Solihull as a result of the Budget.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested in regard to national insurance contributions is not available. However, I can confirm that as a result of the Budget, the national health service in England will receive an annual average real terms growth in resources of 7.4 per cent. for the five years from 200304 to 200708. Local allocations to primary care trusts will be announced later this year.

Capital Allocations

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out for each (a) NHS region, (b) health authority and (c) NHS trust for each quarter of each of the last four years the (i) monetary value of approvals to use capital for revenue purposes, (ii) the number of approvals and (iii) the total capital allocation.

John Hutton: holding answer 12 March 2002
	The majority of the information requested is contained in the tables which have been placed in the Library. Data is only readily available in the format requested for the last two financial years. Information about the number of approvals is not collected by the Department in the format requested.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 37 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency, what are the wider enforcement issues of relevance to the agency and its stakeholders that have been considered by the local authority enforcement liaison group.

Yvette Cooper: The local authority enforcement liaison group, which in November 2001 became the enforcement liaison group, has considered a number of issues that are not specifically covered by the framework agreement on local authority food law enforcement. These include: food surveillance mechanisms; sampling of imported foods; the Food Standard Agency's (FSA) communications strategy; schemes to increase the transparency of hygiene standards in food businesses; support for local authority food law enforcement work; traceability in the food chain; issues arising form the FSA's monitoring and audit of local authorities; and funding arrangements for local authority enforcement services.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality of the website of the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: The structure of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) new website, launched on 10 December 2001, reflects the FSA's core values of independence, openness and accessibility and has been well received by consumers and stakeholders. This is reflected in the considerable rise in traffic to the site.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the new cross-cutting arrangements for dealing with food incidents referred to on page 34 of the 2001 Food Standards Agency report were in place to coincide with the move of the Food Standards Agency to Aviation house.

Yvette Cooper: The arrangements for dealing with food incidents were reviewed prior to the move to Aviation house in spring 2001, and a new incidents room was established within the new office building. Subsequently a Food Standards Agency (FSA) wide food incidents committee has been established to monitor the FSA's handling of incidents.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken by his Department further to the Service Delivery Agreement target of the Food Standards Agency to publish a consultation document on future labelling policy.

Yvette Cooper: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) published a wide-ranging action plan on food labelling in September 2000 based upon issues identified as priorities in public consultation and consumer research. The FSA is consulting stakeholders on each individual initiative in the action plan as it is taken forward.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many open fora of the Food Standards Agency have been held since 31 May 2000.

Yvette Cooper: The Food Standards Agency held an open forum at Villa Park, Birmingham on 31 May 2000, where members of the public were invited to give their views on how the agency should operate and what they saw as its priorities. Since then, the agency has held six similarly wide ranging open fora on food issues in Cardiff (May 2001), Dundee (June 2001), Bristol (September 2001), London (November 2001), Orkney (November 2001), and Inverness (November 2001). The agency has also held numerous public meetings across the UK dealing with specific issues such as the agency's review of BSE controls, BSE and sheep, food labelling, nutrition, genetic modification and folic acid fortification.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the agreed recommendations of the Pooley report which are within the remit of the Food Standards Agency have been implemented.

Yvette Cooper: There were originally 29 recommendations in the Pooley report for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to take forward, including those relating to meat inspection and the work of the meat hygiene service. One of these recommendations was subsequently transferred by agreement to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Of the remaining current 28 recommendations for the FSA, six require EU approval, and these are being worked on; 11 have been completed; 10 are being acted on; and one requires action this year.
	Progress on all these matters is detailed on the FSA website at http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/meat/ redtapegroup and is updated monthly.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the result was of the discussions referred to on page 42 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency, between the Food Standards Agency and the trade unions about reviewing the FSA's pay arrangements;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the result of the approach by the Food Standards Agency to the Cabinet Office, referred to on page 42 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency, in pursuit of pay delegation.

Yvette Cooper: Pay delegation approval was obtained from the Cabinet Office in 2001 for the Food Standards Agency to develop and negotiate agency-specific pay arrangements. A two-year pay agreement was reached with the trade unions, effective from 1 August 2001.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken following the publication in February 2001 of the final report on the consumer surveys of attitudes towards food issues and the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: The results of the Food Standards Agency's annual consumer attitudes survey are used to track changes in consumer preferences, attitudes and behaviour and to inform agency priorities and activities. Since the publication of the first survey in February 2001, the second survey has been published and key changes noted. Consumer priorities, behaviours and concerns continue to be reflected in agency priorities and activities. These include meat safety including BSE, food poisoning, food hygiene in catering outlets, feed given to livestock, pesticides, food labelling and healthy eating.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Food Standards Agency has met its service delivery agreement to increase the availability of its research results.

Yvette Cooper: The Food Standards Agency has improved the availability of its research results through publishing reports on its website, press releases, information leaflets and articles in popular and specialist publications. In addition, the agency encourages its research contractors to publish research results in the scientific press.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if the target date of April 2001 for the development of the IiP action plan for the Food Standards Agency was met;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the deferral of the IiP website, referred to on page 41 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: Since the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency was prepared, the criteria in the assessment method for obtaining IiP accreditation have changed. Given the cyclical nature of some of the key processes, such as business planning and performance appraisal, the target date of April 2001 was deferred. The FSA now plans to begin to seek accreditation by the end of 2002. In support of this an action plan has been developed. The IiP website for the agency has also been established and is available to all staff.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the consultation (a) began and (b) ended on the hazard analysis and critical control points strategy prepared by the Food Standards Agency;
	(2)  with reference to the 2000 spending review service delivery agreement targets, what percentage of food premises have implemented HACCP food safety management systems;
	(3)  when the Food Standards Agency strategy was implemented for the promotion of hazard analysis and critical control points throughout the food chain.

Yvette Cooper: The paper on the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) strategy, which was submitted to the board of the Food Standards Agency in November 2001, was produced following consultation with a range of organisations and relevant stakeholders.
	On the basis of a questionnaire sent to UK local authorities in September 2001, the FSA estimates that about 20 per cent. of food businesses operate HACCP based controls.
	The FSA is now considering detailed measures to take forward the HACCP action plan to implement the HACCP strategy.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action has been taken following the Research Review Group chaired by Sir John Arbuthnot review of the Food Standards Agency's future strategy for research;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the outcome of the review of the Food Standards Agency's research programme.

Yvette Cooper: The agency's board has accepted all 34 recommendations of the review of the Food Standards Agency's research portfolio and research management system. Thirteen of these recommendations have been implemented already in the 10 months since the report of the review was published, in July 2001. The agency aims to complete the remaining 21 recommendations over the next four years.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements have been made by the Food Standards Agency to hygiene assessment scores, as referred to on page 28 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the performance of the meat hygiene service (MHS) against its targets for the year ended 31 March 2001, including that in relation to the improvement in hygiene standards in plants with low hygiene assessment system (HAS) scores, is currently being assembled in order for an assessment to be carried out and reported to the board of the Food Standards Agency. The outcome will be reported in the MHS's annual report and accounts which will be laid before Parliament before the House rises for the summer.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on development work around diversity issues, referred to on page 41 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the preparation of the Food Standards Agency's diversity strategy.

Yvette Cooper: Development work has covered a range of diversity issues including the recruitment and development of agency staff, diversity training and the setting of agency-specific targets. A diversity action plan has been produced.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the introduction of 360-degree feedback for the senior civil service, referred to on page 41 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: The first 360-degree feedback programme for members of the senior civil service in the Food Standards Agency has been completed.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what unannounced State Veterinary Service audits have been conducted by the Food Standards Agency in fresh meat establishments as referred to on page 28 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: In the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 the State Veterinary Service made 173 unannounced visits to fresh meat premises. The purpose of these visits was to audit the Meat Hygiene Service enforcement of the controls on specified risk material.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the service delivery agreement referred to on page 26 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency, what new approaches that harness recent developments in e-technology have been published to provide advice for consumers.

Yvette Cooper: The Food Standards Agency website www.food.gov.uk provides an e-mail subscription facility which updates consumers and other stakeholders with food-related news and advice, including food hazard warnings, as they are published. The website is also available as a wireless application protocol facility.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which outside specialists, referred to on page 26 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency, have been appointed to carry out qualitative consumer market research on food safety and standards; and at what cost.

Yvette Cooper: The reference on page 26 is to quantitative market research. The Food Standards Agency annual consumer attitudes survey is conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres under Central Office of Information management. The research agency was appointed following a competitive tendering process.
	Costs for the most recent survey (conducted in autumn 2001 and published in February 2002) totalled 150,000.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of local authorities have been covered by the Food Standards Agency's targeted audit programme encompassing law reforming local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: In line with the targets published in the 2000 spending review service delivery agreement, the Food Standards Agency audited 10 per cent. of local authority food law enforcement services during 200102. Local authorities were selected for audit to represent a cross section of authority types, which included low performing local authorities. During 200102, 40 local authorities in England, 32 local authorities in Scotland and two in Wales were audited. In Northern Ireland, all five authorities scheduled for audit this year will have been audited by May 2002.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if electronic transmissions of the quarterly returns of local authorities to the Food Standards Agency is undertaken by all local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: The vast majority of UK local authorities have submitted their final returns for 200102 in an electronic format and others are in the process of doing so. A small number of local authorities are, due to local IT difficulties, unable to make their return electronically. The agency has agreed these local authorities can submit data clerically, and is giving advice on resolving the IT difficulties.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the pieces of independent advice to Ministers which have been published by the Food Standards Agency since its inception.

Yvette Cooper: The agency routinely publishes advice to Ministers on issues of public importance and interest.
	Since its inception the Food Standards Agency has published, for example, significant advice to Ministers on:
	The public health implications of the contamination of certain crops with GM seeds
	The proposed MAFF strategy for Scrapie in sheep
	The immediate implications of the report of the BSE inquiry
	Its review of BSE controls
	The need for measures relating to BSE in French beef
	Implementation of EU maximum residue levels for pesticides.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of the national programme of Food Standards Agency seminars arranged for January to March 2001 to improve the quality of local authority monitoring returns.

Yvette Cooper: 12 seminars were conducted in the UK during the period, with a thirteenth in Northern Ireland in July. Some 650 local authority officers received half a day's training and guidance from agency officials on the new monitoring arrangements to be implemented with the introduction of the framework agreement.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the results of the baseline survey by the Food Standards Agency of salmonella in UK retail poultry.

Yvette Cooper: The Food Standards Agency survey of fresh and frozen raw chicken on retail sale was carried out between April and June 2001. The overall salmonella contamination level was 5.8 per cent. and these preliminary findings were announced on 16 August 2001.
	The level of salmonella contamination is markedly lower than in previous surveys of retail chicken in the UK. The findings from the 2001 survey indicate that substantial progress has been made in tackling this problem in the UK and, as a result, the agency's target of reducing salmonella contamination of UK retail chicken by 50 per cent. in five years has been met ahead of schedule.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the 2000 spending review service delivery agreement targets, if an audit unit within the Food Standards Agency in Scotland and an agreed local authority audit scheme were in place by April 2001.

Yvette Cooper: From 1 April 2001, The Food Standards Agency Scotland have had permanent staff appointed to carry out programmed audits of local authorities in Scotland.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has (a) been taken and (b) is planned, following the informal consultations by the Food Standards Agency on a proposal for an agency register of food business convictions.

Yvette Cooper: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is not proposing to proceed with the establishment of a national register of food business convictions at this time as this would not provide the most effective means for increasing the transparency of standards in food businesses. The FSA is, however, considering other options for achieving increased transparency.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the latest annual survey of consumer attitudes towards food issues and the Food Standards Agency published by the Food Standards Agency.

Yvette Cooper: The 2001 study is the second annual survey of over 3,100 people across the UK. As in 2000, food poisoning (59 per cent.) and BSE (55 per cent.) remained the major issues of concern. Nearly half of those questioned felt that food safety standards had improved in the last year. The survey revealed a significant increase in awareness of and confidence in the Food Standards Agency between 2000 and 2001.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Welsh translation of the Food Standards Agency teaching packs Aliens in our Food, and The Adventures of Safe-T and the H-Squad has been prepared.

Yvette Cooper: Welsh language versions of these resources have been developed and copies were distributed by Food Standards Agency Wales to all primary and secondary schools in Wales, as appropriate, during 2000.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to 2000 spending review service delivery agreement targets referred to on page 28 of the 2001 report of the Food Standards Agency, what audits of local authorities targeting specific policy issues are to be undertaken by the Food Standards Agency in 200203.

Yvette Cooper: The audit programme for the first quarter of 200203 has been announced and is under way. The audit programme for the remainder of 200203 is currently being considered by the Food Standards Agency and a paper is to be presented at the next board meeting in May. This will address whether the future audit programme should include audits targeting specific enforcement policy issues.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the service delivery agreement target of the Food Standards Agency to develop a new framework agreement with local authorities by 1 April 2001 to promote high and consistent standards of enforcement throughout the UK was met by 1 April 2001.

Yvette Cooper: Yes. The framework agreement on local authority food law enforcement was published on 29 September 2000. The agreement came fully into effect from 1 April 2001 with the launch of the agency's programme of audits. The agreement includes a standard for enforcement which local authorities are expected to achieve and are audited against.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the upgrade of the Food Standards Agency website, referred to on page 40 of the 2001 Food Standards Agency report, has been completed.

Yvette Cooper: The upgrade to the Food Standards Agency website was completed on 10 December 2001 when the site relaunched as www.food.gov.uk.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the Food Standards Agency in encouraging local authorities to publish local information about hygiene standards in food premises.

Yvette Cooper: This is a matter for the Food Standards Agency.
	The Food Standards Agency's framework agreement on local authority food law enforcement which came fully into effect from 1 April 2001 requires that local authorities publish local service plans to provide transparency about local food law enforcement services. Local authorities are required to set out in the service plan information about their planned food inspection programme based on the number, type and level of risk of food premises in their area. Service plans are inspected and assessed as part of the agency's audit of local authority food law enforcement services.
	On 1 March 2002 the Food Standards Agency Wales joined forces with Welsh local authorities to launch a national food hygiene award scheme which aims to raise food hygiene standards and consumer confidence by providing public recognition for food businesses that have excellent hygiene procedures in place. Subject to the success of this scheme, it may be used as a model to help improve transparency of standards more widely.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many board meetings of the Food Standards Agency have been held in public.

Yvette Cooper: Since its establishment in April 2000, the board of the Food Standards Agency has held 17 meetings in public.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Local Authority Enforcement Liaison Group in reviewing the operation of the framework agreement developed by the Food Standards Agency for the promotion of high and consistent standards of food safety enforcement throughout the United Kingdom.

Yvette Cooper: This is a matter for the Food Standards Agency. The framework agreement on local authority food law enforcement came fully into effect in April 2001 and is subject to an annual review by the Local Authority Enforcement Liaison Group, which in November 2001 was renamed the Enforcement Liaison Group. The Enforcement Liaison Group has completed its first annual review of the framework agreement and changes were issued to local authorities and other relevant bodies on 2 April 2002. The agency believe that the Enforcement Liaison Group is making a major contribution to food safety enforcement.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisations (synergis) in the last three years for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not available. We have no central information on prescribing in hospitals, where this drug is primarily used.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he provides to hospitals and health authorities on (a) whether to immunise at risk infants against RSV and (b) which infants would benefit from RSV immunisations.

Yvette Cooper: Palivizumab is a monoclonal antibody indicated for prevention of serious lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) requiring hospitalisation in children born at 35 weeks gestation or less and who are less than six months old at onset of the RSV season, or in children less than two years old who have received treatment for bronchopulmonary dysplasia within the last six months. It is given monthly during the RSV season. This information is published in the British National Formulary.

Teenage Pregnancy

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2002, Official Report, column 1153W, on teenage pregnancy, which of the recommendations in the Social Exclusion Unit's report on teenage pregnancy have been completed; and which of the rest have target completion dates.

Yvette Cooper: The following action points have been completed, as set out in the Social Exclusion Unit's report on teenage pregnancy:
	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30.
	Implementation of all the remaining action points is under way. It is expected that action points 10, 11, and 20 will be completed by the end of 2002.
	Action point 13 was to deliver guidance on the circumstances in which different health professionals may prescribe, supply and administer contraceptives to under 16s. Research is being commissioned to identify the extent and nature of confusion among health professionals to inform whether further guidance is needed.
	The target completion date for action point 29 is 2003.
	While the bulk of the original action plan has now been implemented, considerable further work is needed to ensure that activity is sustained and monitored, and to assess the impact of pilot programmes. Our focus remains delivery of the headline goals of halving under 18 conception rates by 2010 and increasing the participation of teenage parents in education, training and employment. The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy published their first annual report in November 2001 which set out 49 recommendations of further action to underpin delivery of these goals. The Government will publish its response to this report later this year.

Patient Advocacy and Liaison

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those trusts which have not established patient advocacy and liaison services.

Hazel Blears: Chapter 10 of the NHS Plan states that Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) will be available in all NHS trusts from April 2002. To underpin this commitment 10 million has been made available to health authorities for PALS development this year. A large number of trusts already have PALS in operation and others are actively developing their service, appointing staff and are expecting to be operational in the near future. A number of primary care trusts are in the process of being set up, and therefore will need to look at incorporating PALS as part of their establishment. At this stage, therefore, there is no full list of those trusts which do not currently have PALS. However, we are in the process of setting up a system for monitoring PALS implementation.

Staff Magazines

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the magazine publications aimed at staff produced during the last year, and the cost of producing each one.

Hazel Blears: The Department produced 50 separate publications for the national health service and social care staff last year. A list with details of the target audience, method of publication, frequency and cost will be placed in the Library.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to deliver a world class mental health service as described on page 115 of Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 April 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Chancellor's Budget statement outlined substantial additional resources to ensure a modern health service. There is no doubt that the increase in national health service expenditure over the next decade will see substantial increases in spending on mental health. The Department is studying the Wanless report with great interest and it will be an important source of analysis and information in the allocation of resources to the service.

Mental Health

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were on the waiting list for Tier 3 child and adolescent mental health services in each locality team in Birmingham at the end of the 200102 financial year; what the year end average waiting time was for such services in each locality; and what the total number of referrals per 1,000 child population was in the year for each locality.

Jacqui Smith: Official child and adolescent mental health services waiting list data for March 2002 will not be published until mid-May 2002.

Mental Health

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure was on child and adolescent mental health services in (a) Birmingham, (b) West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last six years at current prices.

Yvette Cooper: The table shows central funding in support of the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) development strategy for Birmingham, West Midlands and England from 1999 to 2002.
	
		
			  Birmingham West Midlands England 
		
		
			  CAMHS mental health grant for local authorities for latest available years 
			 19992000 99,559 724,642 10,000,000 
			 200001 97,559 832,642 10,000,000 
			 200102 256,559 1,227,642 15,000,000 
			 
			  NHS modernisation funding for latest available years 
			 19992000 114,000 1,099,000 10,000,000 
			 200001 800,000 2,197,000 20,000,000 
			 200102 (25) (25) (25) 
		
	
	(25) 200001 funding now in HA baseline
	Source:
	Department of Health

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost in 200102 was of the pay increase to staff in his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible; and what the cost of the forthcoming increase will be in 200203.

Hazel Blears: The estimated cost of the Department's pay increase to staff was at the time of settlement 4,167,200 in 200102 and 5,446,998 in 200203. These figures are for the civil service staff in the Department and agencies.
	Figures for non-departmental public bodies cannot be provided as these organisations are not included in the Department's pay settlement.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what have been the total salary costs of each of the non- departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The information on salary costs for the Department's non-departmental public bodies is shown in the table. Unless shown, the information requested is not yet available for 200102.
	
		 
		
			  Total salary costs 
		
		
			  Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) 
			 200001 4,791,000 
			 19992000 (26)592,000 
			 199899 n/a 
			 199798 n/a 
			   
			  General Social Care Council (GSCC) 
			 200102 (27)1,311,298 
			 200001 n/a 
			 19992000 n/a 
			 199899 n/a 
			 199798 n/a 
			   
			  Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) 
			 200001 701,958 
			 19992000 699,268 
			 199899 622,889 
			 199798 556,767 
			   
			  National Biological Standards Board (UK) 
			 200001 8,299,000 
			 19992000 8,095,000 
			 199899 7,639,000 
			 199798 7,298,000 
			   
			  National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) 
			 200001 8,102,000 
			 19992000 7,694,000 
			 199899 7,652,000 
			 199798 8,019,000 
			   
			  Public Health Laboratory Service Board (PHLS) 
			 200001 79,286,000 
			 19992000 77,524,000 
			 199899 74,771,000 
			 199798 72,547,000 
		
	
	(26) Part-year costs. CHI was established on 1 November 1999.
	(27) Part-year costs. GSCC was operational from 1 October 2001.
	The National Care Standards Commission is excluded from the table since it was not in operation before April 2002.

Empty Properties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 1046W, regarding the cost and value of empty properties, if the property that has been empty since July 2000 is now occupied and being used by the national health service.

Yvette Cooper: The property referred to by the hon. Member is the Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre, at Erdington in Birmingham. Following closure in July 2000, a feasibility study has been completed to adapt the centre for reuse by the South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust and the capital funding bid is awaiting imminent approval by the Department. It is currently unoccupied and being managed on a cost-effective, care and maintenance basis.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer on 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 943W, regarding the National Care Standards Commission, how many applications had been (a) received and (b) not received by the National Care Standards Commission by the 31 March, how many statements of purpose were (i) received and (ii) not received by 31 March; how many care homes should have completed the (a) statement of purpose and (b) applications; and what steps he is taking to ensure all care homes which should have completed their statement of purpose and application form but have not, will comply with the Care Standards Act 2000 Part 11, section (1) as soon as possible.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 17 April 2002
	As of the 1 April 2002 the National Care Standards Commission had received approximately 2,500 applications from providers and managers who were required to apply for registration by that date. It is not possible to say how many of these applications are from care homes since the commission is still assessing from which service areas the applications originated and the associated documentation sent with them. It is probable that once the commission has processed all of the applications sent to it prior to 1 April 2002 there will be significantly more than 2,500 applications.
	All care homes are required to produce statements of purpose from 1 April. The NCSC will take copies of the statement of purpose from existing providers at the time of the first inspection this year in the spring and summer. New care homes seeking registration and those previously exempt providers required to apply before the 31 March should attach their statement of purpose with their application for registration. The NCSC has indicated that it will work with providers during the registration process to ensure that statements are drawn up appropriately by providers.
	Providers required to apply for registration by 31 March are given protection from section 11(1) of the Care Standards Act as long as they have submitted their application forms and until a decision to grant or refuse registration is made by the commission. When registration is granted by the commission a provider is automatically deemed as complying with section 11(1). Where a provider deliberately seeks to evade registration under the Act the commission will take appropriate enforcement action.

Town/Village Greens

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those sites which are part of NHS hospitals on which applications have been made to be registered as town or village greens; which of these have been successful; which are outstanding; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The following hospitals have sites that have been subject of applications for registration as town or village greens:
	
		
			 Hospital Outcome 
		
		
			 St. James Hospital, Portsmouth Successful 
			 Northowram Hospital, Halifax Outstanding 
			 Newton Hill, Wakefield Outstanding 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Unsuccessful 
			 Second application, same site Unsuccessful 
			 Monyhull Hospital, Birmingham Unsuccessful 
			 Second application, similar site Successful

National Patient Survey

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the cost of the National Survey of NHS Patients being carried out by the National Centre for Social Research.

Hazel Blears: The cost of the current survey of GP services, which the National Centre for Social Research began on behalf of the Department in January this year, is expected to be 1.6 million.
	Reporting this summer, the survey will enable the Government to find out what people think of the care and treatment they receive when visiting their GP. Its coverage will consist of a sample size of 261,000 people drawn from the electoral registers.
	It is designed to produce a minimum of 375 returned questionnaires from each of the primary care organisations in England, that is 150,000 completed questionnaires. The findings will inform both the national 'star' ratings and provide feedback to primary care trusts, so that where appropriate, service improvements can be initiated.

Alcohol Consumption

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics the Government collect on alcohol consumption (a) by gender, (b) by age and (c) by region.

Hazel Blears: Data on alcohol consumption are collected in a number of surveys. For adults aged 16 and over, these include:
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) General Household Survey, published as Living in BritainResults from the 2000 General Household Survey. This includes analyses by gender, age group and region and is available on the internet at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ lib.index.html.
	The Department of Health: Health Survey for England; published as (for example) Health Survey for England 1998Cardiovascular Disease. This includes analyses by age group and gender and data from 1993 to 2000 is available on the internet at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/stats/ trends1.htm.
	For young people aged 11 to 15, the Department of Health commissions a school survey from the National Centre for Social Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research. Data for 2000 was published as Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2000 and is available on the internet at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/stats/trends1.htm.
	Preliminary findings from the 2001 survey were published as a Department of Health Statistical Press Notice: Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2001: Preliminary Results in March 2002. The press notice is available on the internet at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/press15march02.htm. Both surveys include analysis by gender and age group.

Meat Hygiene Service

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if the Food Standards Agency has met its service delivery agreement target to set new targets for the Meat Hygiene Service;
	(2)  with reference to the 2000 spending review service delivery agreement targets, what annual targets have been set for the Meat Hygiene Service to ensure the application of clean livestock policy, health marking and strict enforcement of specified risk material controls.

Yvette Cooper: Performance targets for the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) for the year 200102 were agreed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) board in May 2001. The targets were placed in the Libraries of the House, announced by FSA press release and put onto the FSA website, on 15 May 2001. Among others, the targets required the MHS:
	to fully apply the Clean Livestock Policy;
	not to apply the health mark stamp to any meat showing visible faecal or alimentary tract contents contamination;
	to strictly enforce the specified risk material controls in licensed meat plants.

Meat Hygiene Service

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if the new targets for the Meat Hygiene Service, referred to on page 36 of the 2001 Food Standards Agency report, have been met;
	(2)  if the service delivery agreement target of the Food Standards Agency to ensure that specified risk material controls are fully enforced, and to improve ante- and post-mortem inspections, has been met.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the performance of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) against its targets for the year ended 31 March 2001, including that in relation to the enforcement of specified risk material controls, is currently being assembled in order for an assessment to be carried out and reported to the board of the Food Standards Agency. The outcome will be published in the MHS's annual report and accounts which will be laid before Parliament before the House rises for the summer.
	As regards improving ante- and post-mortem inspections, the FSA confirms that the MHS achieved full-time veterinary supervision in all full throughput abattoirs in line with EU requirements as from November 2001. This subject was dealt with in more detail in an answer given to the hon. Member for South-East Cornwall (Mr. Breed) on 8 January 2002. Official Report, columns 63435.

Natural Health Therapies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to include natural health research and therapies in policies aimed at tackling cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Yvette Cooper: Decisions on what specific services and treatments to use are mostly made at a local level, so that national health service organisations may fund some natural health therapies, particularly in the care of cancer patients.
	The National Institute of Clinical Excellence has been commissioned to produce guidelines on supportive and palliative care for cancer patients, which will be published in 2003. These guidelines will include the role that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) might play. The Department funds some research into CAM. A programme to build capacity in research into CAM will be launched shortly, and the Department is also planning to commission new work on the use of CAM techniques in the care of patients with cancer.

Bovine TB

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of mycobacterium bovis (bovine TB) there have been in humans in each year since 1987; and how many fatalities there have been.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 2 May 2002
	Information provided by the Public Health Laboratory Service show the number of cases of mycobacterium bovis (bovine TB) in humans for each year since 1987 as follows:
	
		
			 Year Cases 
		
		
			 1987 50 
			 1988 53 
			 1989 40 
			 1990 31 
			 1993 47 
			 1994 49 
			 1995 32 
			 1996 37 
			 1997 45 
			 1998 40 
			 1999 40 
			 2000 28 
		
	
	Data was not produced by laboratories in 1991 and 1992 and is therefore not available.
	Reports of deaths from tuberculosis do not include details of the infecting organism. Therefore the number of deaths from M. Bovis is not available.

Salt

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition reviewing the available evidence in relation to salt in the diets of adults and children plans to report; and whether its report will be published.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 17 April 2002
	The subgroup of the Committee has recently started its work. I am advised that at this stage it is not possible to be definite about a publication date, but the Committee hopes to produce a report before the end of the year.

Salt

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations have been presented to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's sub-group on salt, other than the submissions sent to the secretariat in response to the call for evidence.

Yvette Cooper: All of the representations presented to the committee arose from the call for evidence.

Salt

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's sub-group on salt plans to produce an interim report of its review on the evidence on salt.

Yvette Cooper: At present there are no plans for the committee to produce an interim report. Papers relating to the activities of the sub-group on salt can be found on the SACN website at www.sacn.gov.uk.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Mobile Telephones

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for 199798 and for each subsequent financial year, the amount spent (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies on (1) providing mobile telephone equipment, including handsets and other associated equipment, (2) telephone calls made using such equipment and (3) telephone calls made using privately owned mobile telephones but subsequently reclaimed by (x) Ministers and (y) staff.

Angela Eagle: Full detailed information is not available in the format requested. To provide the hon. Member with a full answer will incur disproportionate cost. I can, however, provide information on mobile phones and associated equipment purchased via our central procurement unit since 1997, which is as follows:
	
		Total expenditure, mobile phones and associated equipment
		
			   
		
		
			 1997 175.00 
			 1998 5,516.16 
			 1999 163,933.83 
			 2000 146,201.48 
			 2001 46,491.25 
		
	
	The increase in the number of phones and associated equipment purchased mirrors trends set nationally by private consumers.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will install a warning signal for use in the event of escapes from detention and remand centres; if he received representations to install a warning siren during the construction of the Yarl's Wood remand centre; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The decision not to install a siren was taken as part of the process of consultation between Group 4 Amey Immigration Ltd. and the local emergency services in the drawing up of contingency plans.

Court Transcripts

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to whom court transcripts are provided free of charge; and what the cost of purchasing court transcripts is.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	A transcript of both civil and criminal trials will normally be produced where one of the parties to the action wishes to lodge an appeal. In civil cases, an unrepresented appellant in poor financial state can request that the cost of the transcript be borne at public expense. It is for the judge to decide whether to grant that request. In criminal cases, where the appellant has a representation order, the cost of the transcript will also be borne at public expense. The cost of the transcript depends on its length as transcribers charge per folio (72 words) and will therefore vary from case to case.

Sexual Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of sexual abuse were heard by the Court of Appeal; of these how many were (a) upheld and (b) discharged in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement on the (i) reasons for discharge and (ii) classification of the cases discharged.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	The records kept by the Court of Appeal do not record, electronically or in manual form, this type of information. The only means available to extract this data would be to resort to manual scrutiny of every case dealt with since 1996 and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Overtime Payments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on overtime payments for staff in his Department.

Angela Eagle: Non-industrial staff in the core Home Office work conditioned hours of 41 in the London area and 42 in the national area. Any authorised hours in excess of these conditioned hours worked by staff below the senior civil service will be paid as overtime as follows:
	Staff up to and including executive officer (EO) level and equivalents
	Weekday: Time and a half
	Saturday: Time and a half plus a half time premium payment (this represents a total payment of double time)
	Sunday and bank holidays: Payment at double time
	Privilege holidays: Time off in lieu
	Higher executive officers (HEOs) and senior executive officers (SEOs) and equivalents
	Weekday: Plain time rate
	Saturday: Plain time rate plus a half time premium payment (this represents a total payment of time and a half)
	Sunday and bank holidays: Payment at double time
	Privilege holidays: Time off in lieu
	Grades 7s and 6s
	Generally Grades 7 and 6 do not receive overtime payments. However, they can receive discretionary payments for the hours they work in excess of conditioned hours, subject to a qualifying period. For work at weekends Grade 7s (but not Grade 6s) receive the following premium payments:
	Saturday: Half time
	Sunday: Plain time
	Staff who work as part of a shift roster, depending on the incidence of night duties, receive in addition to their normal salary shift disturbance allowance between 12.5 per cent. and 20 per cent. Higher rates may be paid in very exceptional circumstances.
	All overtime, premia and shift disturbance payments are subject to a ceiling. Overtime payments are not pensionable but premium payments are.
	Agencies
	In our Agencies, the arrangements are exactly as set out above except as follows:
	United Kingdom Passport Agency
	Saturday overtime for HEOs and SEOs is paid at plain time rate, there is no additional premium payment.
	Forensic Science Service
	All overtime premia and shift disturbance payments are paid at individual hourly rates, they are not subject to a ceiling. Shift disturbance allowance is paid between 10 per cent. and 25 per cent.
	Overtime has to be approved by managers in response to a business need and within budget limits and having regard to welfare and work life balance considerations.

Staff (Locally Elected Representatives)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff at his Department are locally elected democratic representatives; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become locally elected democratic representatives.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Staff in the Home Office (including the Prison Service) who are elected members of a local authority are allowed up to 18 days special leave with pay to perform their duties. This total may be increased to 24 days if the Department is satisfied that the duties equate to those of a Lord Mayor. Consideration will be given to granting paid special leave to other locally elected democratic representatives on an individual basis.
	The Home Office is the lead Government Department for the active community initiative. Staff can take paid leave for volunteering in certain public capacities (e.g. school governors up to six days, magistrates up to 18 days). Staff in the non-agency Home Office can also take up to five days paid leave a year for any other voluntary activity.
	A volunteering manager has recently been appointed, seconded from the voluntary sector, to actively promote volunteering among Home Office staff, ensure that a wide range of opportunities are available, monitor participation and evaluate the benefits to the individual and the Department.

Justices of the Peace

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff at his Department are justices of the peace; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become justices of the peace.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Staff in the Home Office (including the Prison Service) who are justices of the peace are allowed up to 18 days special leave with pay to perform their duties plus reasonable travelling time, to permit up to 26 attendances.
	The Home Office is the lead Government Department for the active community initiative. Staff can take paid leave for volunteering in certain public capacities (e.g. school governors up to six days, magistrates up to 18 days). Staff in the non-agency Home Office can also take up to five days paid leave a year for any other voluntary activity.
	A volunteering manager has recently been appointed, seconded from the voluntary sector, to actively promote volunteering among Home Office staff, ensure that a wide range of opportunities are available, monitor participation and evaluate the benefits to the individual and the Department.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which public service agreement targets that are scheduled to be met in 2002 will not be achieved by the due date.

Angela Eagle: Information about progress on public service agreement targets will be published in the Department's 2002 Department report in mid-May.

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people employed by the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseekers' allowance or other benefits.

Angela Eagle: Information on the New Deal programme has never been collected centrally for non-departmental public bodies, and those Home Office non-departmental public bodies that employ their own staff do not monitor new dealers who have left their employment.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private finance initiative projects have been subject to refinancing after the contracts have been signed; and what has been the financial effect in each case.

Angela Eagle: The following Private Finance Initiative projects have been subject to post contract refinancing;
	Her Majesty's Prison Altcourse (Fazakerley) Prison Service Effect of refinancing;
	Prison Service subject to increase of liability to 1 million in the event of premature termination of contract.
	Year: 1999
	Her Majesty's Prison Parc (Bridgend) Prison Service;
	Refinancing subject to ongoing negotiation between contractor and Prison Service.
	Year: 1996
	Hassockfield Secure Training Centre Youth Justice Board (YJB);
	The contract allows for re-financing but, does not allow YJB to share in benefits of re-financing or obtain details of benefits that may accrue to the contractor.
	Year: 1999.

Asylum Seekers

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the running of accommodation centres for asylum seekers will be contracted out to the private sector;
	(2)  who will be responsible for the administration and management of each accommodation centre for asylum seekers.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 15 April 2002
	Our intention is to identify the most cost effective option which delivers the required standards of design, build and operation.

Asylum Seekers

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people he expects to be employed at each accommodation centre for asylum seekers; and what estimate he has made of the salary costs of each centre.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 15 April 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) on 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 895W. Estimates for staffing costs have not been made.

Asylum Seekers

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sites are under consideration for the provision of the pilot asylum seeker accommodation centres.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 25 April 2002
	They are as follows:
	Qinetiq (formerly Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA)) Pershore, Worcestershire (Mid Worcestershire).
	Royal Air Force (RAF) Hemswell, West Lindsey, Lincolnshire (Gainsborough).
	Sully Hospital, Barry, South Glamorgan (Vale of Glamorgan).
	Hooton Park, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire (Ellesmere Port and Neston).
	Land vacated by Ministry of Defence (MOD) Logistics, Bicester, Oxfordshire (Banbury).
	Air West Edinburgh (formerly RAF Turnhouse), Edinburgh (Edinburgh, West).
	RAF Newton, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire (Rushcliffe).
	National Energy Site Killinghome, near Grimsby, North Lincolnshire (Cleethorpes).

Asylum Seekers

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance will be provided to local authorities and other providers of public services in whose areas asylum seeker accommodation centres are developed.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 25 April 2002
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 360W, we expect that, nationally, accommodation centres will reduce the burden on local authorities due to the range of facilities provided on site. This includes education for children and adults, and primary health care facilities. We will, however, take funding considerations into account as we continue to develop our policy.

Street Robberies

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many street robberies there have been in each of the London boroughs in the last three years.

John Denham: The table contains figures for total recorded robberies (including robberies of personal property and business property) in London boroughs for 19992000 and 200001. The Home Office did not collect borough figures prior to April 1999. The Home Office will publish national statistics for 200102 in the summer in its crime bulletin. The Metropolitan police have already published figures for this period, which are available on its web site.
	The Metropolitan police force area is one of the 10 areas included in the Government's wider street crime initiative, which involves a concerted response to street crime across all the criminal justice and social agencies.
	The 10 Force Street Crime Initiative began in April 2002 across the 10 force areas with the biggest robbery problem. The police and criminal justice agencies are working together in these areas to target and fast-track all street crime offenders. The initiative also brings together the resources and expertise of non-criminal justice system agencies to help tackle the causes of street crime and take preventative action.
	
		Metropolitan policetotal robbery offences by basic command unit (BCU), financial years 19992000 to 200001(28)
		
			   Year ending  
			 BCU March 2000 March 2001 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 514 731 
			 Barnet 876 1,041 
			 Bexley 289 417 
			 Brent 2,014 1,941 
			 Bromley 518 685 
			 Camden 1,645 1,906 
			 Croydon 1,094 1,568 
			 Ealing 1,702 1,510 
			 Enfield 1,013 1,163 
			 Greenwich 471 469 
			 Hackney 2,437 2,275 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 853 911 
			 Haringey 2,008 2,340 
			 Harrow 607 559 
			 Havering 240 392 
			 Heathrow airport 6 6 
			 Hillingdon 401 472 
			 Hounslow 574 717 
			 Islington 1,761 1,511 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 828 991 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 175 245 
			 Lambeth 3,390 4,691 
			 Lewisham 1,277 1,547 
			 Merton 321 397 
			 Newham 1,736 2,106 
			 Redbridge 652 900 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 160 236 
			 Southwark 2,008 2,162 
			 Sutton 228 240 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,589 1,757 
			 Waltham Forest 943 1,281 
			 Wandsworth 1,217 1,427 
			 Westminster 2,468 2,397 
			 'Squads' 0 1 
			  
			 Grand total 36,015 40,992 
		
	
	(28) Based on force boundary since 1 April 2000

Voluntary Sector

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Government have made of the level of direct European Union funding for the voluntary sector in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The most recent Government estimate of funding provided by the European Union (four structural funds) to voluntary and community organisations in the United Kingdom, in total, is 232,061,849 for the 200001 financial year.

Special Constabulary

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the strength was of the special constabulary for each of the 43 police authorities in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Denham: The number of serving special constables in each police force area from September 1997 to September 2001 are set out in the table.
	
		
			   September  
			 Police force 1997 1998 1999  2000 2001 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 629 584 482 416 391 
			 Bedfordshire 186 175 148 134 119 
			 Cambridgeshire 336 308 293 214 197 
			 Cheshire 491 416 358 307 233 
			 Cleveland 157 136 108 122 98 
			 Cumbria 184 210 193 167 125 
			 Derbyshire 414 355 303 286 263 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,079 916 908 836 780 
			 Dorset 325 303 287 278 258 
			 Durham 178 159 169 155 146 
			 Essex 641 590 528 478 413 
			 Gloucestershire 287 245 221 197 153 
			 Greater Manchester 657 567 498 408 355 
			 Hampshire 681 747 720 500 400 
			 Hertfordshire 306 267 232 214 177 
			 Humberside 348 289 263 198 207 
			 Kent 588 565 484 416 366 
			 Lancashire 500 465 397 362 325 
			 Leicestershire 402 350 303 202 155 
			 Lincolnshire 273 233 218 179 160 
			 London, City of 84 69 66 46 34 
			 Merseyside 407 463 467 452 507 
			 Metropolitan police 1,528 1,214 1,173 754 753 
			 Norfolk 346 351 317 270 240 
			 Northamptonshire 314 262 210 195 184 
			 Northumbria 480 352 356 323 276 
			 North Yorkshire 337 302 245 189 186 
			 Nottinghamshire 597 530 405 411 281 
			 South Yorkshire 295 266 236 193 189 
			 Staffordshire 643 558 460 461 395 
			 Suffolk 300 402 420 376 322 
			 Surrey 231 226 205 168 176 
			 Sussex 465 415 377 317 301 
			 Thames Valley 694 587 514 463 377 
			 Warwickshire 379 323 260 260 208 
			 West Mercia 558 499 512 443 364 
			 West Midlands 949 784 697 662 604 
			 West Yorkshire 604 590 572 452 371 
			 Wiltshire 150 176 182 172 160 
			 Dyfed Powys 241 237 237 193 174 
			 Gwent 149 114 110 131 148 
			 North Wales 388 336 262 233 203 
			 South Wales 362 360 331 254 250 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures provided by Research, Development and Statistics.
	The proposals in the White Paper Policing a New Century: A Blueprint for Reform set out a radical and ambitious programme of reform, with the overall aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime and tackling antisocial behaviour. The special constabulary has a key role to play in the fight against crime and the fear of crime. The Government are accordingly introducing a wide range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of specials. These include improvements to the recruitment, training, conditions, management and deployment of specialsfocusing their role on intelligence-led, high visibility patrolling and local crime reduction initiatives.

Golden Jubilee

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers serving in the Humberside police authority will be eligible for the Golden Jubilee Medal.

John Denham: Detailed criteria for the award of the Golden Jubilee Medal are being developed and it will then be for the chief officer of each force to establish how many of their officers are eligible.

Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 21 March concerning antisocial behaviour orders.

John Denham: A reply to the hon. Member was despatched on Wednesday 24 April 2002.

Vehicle Speed Detection

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  to what extent the VASCAR vehicle speed detection device relies on human inputs.
	(2)  if he will make a statement about the accuracy of the VASCAR vehicle speed detection device.

John Denham: The VASCAR vehicle speed detection device relies in part on the operator accurately and consistently operating switches. These start and stop a clock and, where necessary, a distance measurement from the vehicle's odometer. The instrument can, alternatively, be pre-fed with the distance between two selected marker points.
	Guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) requires operators to be trained and to pass a test as to their performance. They must demonstrate in a sequence of five measurements that none has an error greater than two miles per hour and that the average error across all five is less than 0.75 miles per hour. They are also trained on the selection, for pre-fed operation, of road marks, in order to minimise parallax errors.
	VASCAR also relies on frequent distance calibration checks. ACPO guidance requires these to be carried out at the start and, where VASCAR has been used, at the end of shifts. There are minimum distances over which measurements are made. The clock in the device is crystal controlled and its errors are insignificant.
	Where the operator is fully trained and the ACPO guidance followed, I am satisfied that the VASCAR device is accurate.

Police Discretion

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police have discretion whether to record a reported crime; and whether a complainant may be requested to attend a police station if the crime is to be recorded.

John Denham: holding answer 25 April 2002
	Under the National Crime Recording Standard, introduced in all forces in England and Wales from April 2002, all reports of incidents, whether from victims, witnesses or third parties, and whether crime-related or not, will result in the registration of an incident report by the police. Following the initial registration, an incident will be recorded as a crime (notifiable offence) if the circumstances as reported amount to a crime defined by law and if there is no credible evidence to the contrary.
	Police officers will determine, on the balance of probabilities, whether an incident amounts to a crime, based on their knowledge of the law and of Home Office counting rules. In most cases, a belief by the victim (or person reasonably assumed to be acting on behalf of the victim) that a crime has occurred will be sufficient to justify its recording as a crime. Once recorded, a crime would remain recorded unless there was credible evidence to disprove that a crime had occurred. A complainant could be requested to attend a police station in the normal course of police inquiries, but this would not be a pre-condition of an incident being recorded as a crime.
	In several forces assault clinics have been set up in order to improve the level of service provided to victims of minor assault and/or harassment. An initial report of an incident leads to a victim being given an appointment at the clinic, where the victim's statement is taken and the crime is recorded. A review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) of the system in one force found that in some cases the victim did not subsequently attend the assaults clinic, leading to the incident not being recorded as a crime. The force is now changing its processes to ensure that this no longer occurs, and other forces have been advised accordingly.

Merseyside Police

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) police standard spending assessment and (b) Home Office provision were for Merseyside police in (i) 199596, (ii) 199697, (iii) 199798, (iv) 199899, (v) 19992000, (vi) 200001 and (vii) 200102; and what the projected figures are for (A) 200203 and (B) 200304.

John Denham: holding answer 25 April 2002
	The information is set out in the table. Figures for 200304 are not yet available.
	
		 million 
		
			 Year Police grant Standard spending assessment Total 
		
		
			 199596 106.672 108.325 214.997 
			 199697 112.589 109.297 221.886 
			 199798 113.660 113.674 227.334 
			 199899 119.122 114.153 233.275 
			 19992000 118.702 117.557 236.259 
			 200001(29) 123.723 120.102 243.825 
			 200102(29),(30) 131.700 125.883 257.583 
			 200203(29) 133.793 126.752 260.545 
		
	
	(29) Grant figures include principal formula police grant and payments from the crime fighting fund (estimated for 200203).
	(30) The figures for 200203 are not directly comparable with 200102 owing to the change in funding arrangement for the National Crime Squad/National Criminal Intelligence Service. On a like-for-like basis the comparable total figure for 200102 is 252.173 million.
	Note:
	Standard spending assessment (SSA) figures include capital financing SSAs.

Offences (DNA)

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what class of offences DNA samples are (a) taken and (b) held even where prosecution does not proceed.

John Denham: holding answer 26 April 2002
	Under the provisions of section 63 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), the police may taken non-intimate DNA samples from all those charged with, informed they will be reported for, or convicted of a recordable offence.
	The police may also take a non-intimate sample from those suspected of a recordable offence where there were grounds for believing the sample will tend to confirm or disprove the suspect's involvement.
	Samples can be taken with consent in any case.
	Pursuant to section 64A of PACE samples may be retained in all cases, even following acquittal or a decision to drop a prosecution, except where the sample was taken as part of a mass screening process and the individual does not consent to the retention of the sample. Retained samples can only be used for purposes related to the prevention or detection of crime, the investigation of an offence or the conduct of a prosecution.

Press Subscriptions

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the newspapers subscribed to (a) Monday to Saturday and (b) on Sunday by his Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 26 April 2002
	Communication Directorate purchases newspapers for its use and for some other parts of the Home Office. The totals for these are shown in the tables.
	Information is not held centrally on the purchase and cost of newspapers for the Department as a whole.
	A breakdown of the newspaper subscriptions and the total expenditure on this basis could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Title  Copies Unit price  No. of days Total price  
		
		
			 (a) Monday to Saturday 
			 Financial Times Monday-Friday 2 0.90 19 34.20 
			 Financial Times Saturday 1 1.00 5 5.00 
			 Times Monday-Friday 2 0.40 20 16.00 
			 Times Saturday 1 0.70 5 3.50 
			 Daily Telegraph Monday-Friday 2 0.50 20 20.00 
			 Daily Telegraph Saturday 1 0.85 5 4.25 
			 Guardian Monday-Friday 2 0.50 20 20.00 
			 Guardian Saturday 1 1.00 5 5.00 
			 Independent Monday-Friday 2 0.50 20 20.00 
			 Independent Saturday 1 0.90 5 4.50 
			 Daily Mail Monday-Friday 2 0.40 20 16.00 
			 Daily Mail Saturday 1 0.60 5 3.00 
			 The Express Monday-Friday 2 0.35 20 14.00 
			 The Express Saturday 1 0.50 5 2.50 
			 Daily Mirror Monday-Friday 2 0.32 20 12.80 
			 Daily Mirror Saturday 1 0.40 5 2.00 
			 Sun Monday-Friday 2 0.30 20 12.00 
			 Sun Saturday 1 0.40 5 2.00 
			 Daily Star Monday-Friday 2 0.30 20 12.00 
			 Daily Star Saturday 1 0.35 5 1.75 
			 Jewish Chronicle Friday 1 0.60 4 2.40 
			 New Statesman Thursday 1 3.95 1 3.95 
			 Campaign 2 3.50 1 7.00 
			 Marketing 2 2.40 3 14.40 
			 PR Week 1 2.10 2 4.20 
			 Marketing Week 1 2.40 3 7.20 
			 Radio Times Tuesday 1 0.85 1 0.85 
			 Economist 1 3.80 1 3.80 
			 Press Gazette 1 2.00 2 4.00 
			 Time Out Wednesday 1 3.60 1 3.60 
			 Voice Weekly 1 0.78 4 3.12 
			 Spectator 1 2.40 1 2.40 
			 Police Review Friday 1 1.75 3 5.25 
			 New Scientist Thursday 1 2.50 1 2.50 
			 AG Railway Guide Janua 1 8.25 1 8.25 
			 Private Eye Wednesday 1 1.50 2 3.00 
			 Auto Express 1 1.50 4 6.00 
			 MJ 1 2.75 2 5.50 
			 Government Chronicle 1 3.40 3 10.20 
			 Caribbean Times 1 0.50 3 1.50 
			 Computer Weekly 1 2.10 2 4.20 
			 Wired 1 3.99 1 3.99 
			 Evening Standard 6 0.35 19 39.90 
			 What Car 1 3.60 1 3.60 
			 
			 Monthly total361.31 
			 (b) Sundays 
			 Sunday Times 1 1.20 4 4.80 
			 Observer 1 1.20 4 4.80 
			 Sunday Telegraph 1 1.00 4 4.00 
			 Independent on Sunday 1 1.20 4 4.80 
			 Mail on Sunday 1 1.10 4 4.40 
			 Sunday Express 1 1.00 4 4.00 
			 News of the World 1 0.65 4 2.60 
			 Sunday People 1 0.65 4 2.60 
			 Sunday Mirror 1 0.65 4 2.60 
			 
			 Monthly total34.60 
			  
			 Annual cost415.20

Press Subscriptions

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the magazines and periodicals subscribed to by his Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 26 April 2002
	Communication Directorate purchases magazines and periodicals for its use and for some other parts of the Home Office. The total for 200102 was 59,000.
	Information is not held centrally on the purchase and cost of magazines and periodicals for the Department as a whole.
	A breakdown of the subscriptions to magazines and periodicals and the total expenditure on this basis could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Police Pensions

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of each police authority's total budget was accounted for by police pensions in the financial years (a) 199899, (b) 19992000, (c) 200001 and (d) 200102; and whether he is undertaking a review of police pensions.

John Denham: holding answer 25 April 2002
	Figures for police pensions as a proportion of net expenditure are set out in the table.
	As we made clear in our White Paper 'Policing a New Century: A Blueprint for Reform', we are aware of the need of police authorities and officers for a system which brings greater clarity about pensions obligations on individual police forces. The Home Office and Treasury are reviewing the options for a revised system which would bring this about.
	
		Percentage 
		
			 Police Authority 199899 19992000 200001 200102 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 14.09 14.84 16.16 16.65 
			 Bedfordshire 12.62 11.94 12.48 12.84 
			 Cambridgeshire 12.04 12.33 12.98 12.69 
			 Cheshire 9.92 11.07 11.25 13.63 
			 City of London 18.14 14.19 15.36 16.05 
			 Cleveland 13.75 14.47 15.18 14.85 
			 Cumbria 14.85 14.78 15.37 15.25 
			 Derbyshire 11.72 11.34 13.41 12.37 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13.96 14.29 13.96 14.81 
			 Dorset 13.08 14.53 14.00 15.05 
			 Durham 11.10 12.64 12.04 12.54 
			 Dyfed/Powys 12.98 12.90 13.24 13.41 
			 Essex 12.39 12.00 11.30 12.94 
			 Gloucestershire 13.54 13.40 14.20 14.26 
			 Greater Manchester 15.63 15.92 15.21 16.25 
			 Gwent 9.93 11.34 10.81 11.92 
			 Hampshire 10.07 11.48 10.84 11.35 
			 Hertfordshire 9.24 11.22 9.80 9.51 
			 Humberside 12.77 13.33 14.15 14.49 
			 Kent 11.22 11.35 12.50 12.94 
			 Lancashire 12.82 12.64 13.54 14.35 
			 Leicestershire 12.22 11.54 12.11 12.63 
			 Lincolnshire 14.58 15.33 16.25 16.86 
			 Merseyside 14.54 15.33 15.65 16.43 
			 Metropolitan Police 12.72 11.70 13.25 12.87 
			 Norfolk 12.22 11.63 12.64 12.55 
			 North Wales 14.49 13.72 14.72 14.81 
			 North Yorkshire 13.79 16.50 16.31 17.19 
			 Northamptonshire 10.96 10.74 11.91 10.83 
			 Northumbria 14.94 13.87 14.27 14.41 
			 Nottinghamshire 13.44 13.79 13.66 15.30 
			 South Wales 15.18 14.29 15.34 15.97 
			 South Yorkshire 9.42 10.68 10.59 12.18 
			 Staffordshire 13.67 15.59 14.84 17.03 
			 Suffolk 13.05 14.86 13.54 14.34 
			 Surrey 11.32 10.32 9.32 9.48 
			 Sussex 14.19 14.82 15.99 15.94 
			 Thames Valley 9.39 9.23 9.78 9.90 
			 Warwickshire 13.04 14.47 15.25 16.51 
			 West Mercia 12.39 12.21 13.26 13.65 
			 West Midlands 11.45 11.32 11.89 12.45 
			 West Yorkshire 13.16 14.07 14.18 14.98 
			 Wiltshire 10.93 11.14 11.11 12.26 
			 Total 12.75 12.72 13.30 13.67 
		
	
	Source:
	Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Police statistics [Actuals] 1998/991999/2000 and [Estimates] 2000/012001/02. An actual net pensions figure for Leicestershire was not available in 199899 so the figure from the Police statistics Estimates 199899 has been used.

Operation Antler

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost in each year, to (a) his Department and (b) Wiltshire Constabulary of Operation Antler, including salary and support costs; and how many officers have worked on the case in each year.

John Denham: holding answer 25 April 2002
	The chief constable informs me that Wiltshire Police Authority salary and support costs for Operation Antler, since it commenced in August 1999, have been as follows:
	
		
			 Year  
		
		
			 19992000 223,457 
			 200001 715,823 
			 200102(31) 742,002 
			  
			 Total 1,681,282 
		
	
	(31) To February 2002. Figures to the end of March are not yet available.
	A special grant in relation to the additional costs of the Porton Down investigation was made by the Home Office to Wiltshire Constabulary in August 2000 for 870,000.
	I understand from the force that to March 2000 there were 14 staff on the investigation (10 Wiltshire police officers, two Wiltshire support staff and two Ministry of Defence (MOD) police officers); at its peak from January 2001 there were 26 staff (14 Wiltshire police officers, five Wiltshire support staff, two MOD police officers and five military investigators). The current staffing level is 18 (10 Wiltshire police officers, six Wiltshire support staff, one MOD police officer and one military investigator).

Police Forces

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police force members there were in (a) Avon and Somerset police force, (b) the south-west region and (c) England and Wales in each year from 1997 to 2001.

John Denham: The requested information is given in the table:
	
		Full-time equivalents
		
			  Avon and Somerset South-west region England and Wales(32) 
		
		
			 31 March 1997 2,989 9,425 127,158 
			 31 March 1998 2,976 9,508 126,814 
			 31 March 1999 2,999 9,420 126,096 
			 31 March 2000 2,934 9,313 124,170 
			 31 March 2001 2,994 9,576 125,682 
			 30 September 2001 3,040 9,693 127,231 
		
	
	(32) The England and Wales totals include secondments to the National Crime Squad (NCS), the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), Central Services and Inter-Force Units

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Brussels on 22 April; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I represented the United Kingdom at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 25 and 26 April 2002 in Luxembourg.
	A points;
	The A points were approved as in document PTS A 19 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library).
	Proposal for a Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of applicants for asylum in member states;
	A general approach was reached on the draft Directive, subject to consideration of two Parliamentary Scrutiny reserves (the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and the European Parliament's opinion.
	Illegal immigration and trafficking of human beings by sea;
	The Council agreed conclusions on action to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking by sea, in particular the need for migration issues to be integrated into the European Union's relations with countries of origin and transit.
	Proposal for a Council Decision adopting an action program for administrative co-operation in the fields of external borders, visas, asylum and immigration;
	Political agreement was reached on the Council Decision establishing the ARGO programme to fund projects to facilitate co-operation and training in these fields.
	Operation on evaluation of the risk in the European Union Airports. Information point;
	The Presidency reported on the risk evaluation exercise which was undertaken on 3,4 and 5 April to detect illegal immigrants at airports within the European Union.
	Meeting of the Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA) with the participation of the heads of the external border control services (11 April 2002). Information point;
	The Presidency reported on a meeting of the Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA) with border control chiefs which discussed the priority areas of the Comprehensive Action Plan to combat illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings.
	Meeting on Co-operation with the United States of America in the field of Asylum, migration and frontiers (12 April 2002). Information point;
	The Presidency reported on a meeting between the SCIFA and United States experts to discuss border control and migration management following 11 September.
	Amendments to the Europol ConventionEuropol's participation in joint investigation teams and Europol's right to ask member states to initiate investigations in specific cases;
	The Council reached a general approach on proposals to amend the Europol Convention. These will provide for Europol's participation in joint investigation teams in a support capacity and Europol's right to ask Member States to initiate investigations in specific cases. The Council will now consider how to implement the amendments.
	Proposal for a Council Decision concerning security in connection with football matches with an international dimension;
	A Council Decision was adopted creating a network of experts intended to improve co-ordination and the exchange of information in relation to football disorder.
	Draft Council conclusions on the fight against racism and xenophobia;
	The Council agreed conclusions calling for action against racially motivated violence, in particular, reinforced police co-operation, the approximation of criminal law and the role of the European Monitoring Centre on racism and xenophobia. The Commission was also invited to submit proposals to raise public awareness.
	Request for a negotiation mandate for the Presidency with the United States of America, on judicial co-operation in criminal matters on the basis of Articles 38 and 24 TEU;
	The Council authorised the Presidency to open negotiations with the United States on behalf of the European Union for an agreement on co-operation in mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition. I will write separately to the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee regarding those negotiations.
	Draft Council conclusions on the approach to apply regarding approximation of penalties;
	The Council agreed conclusions on the use of penalty ranges as a means of approximating criminal penalties for common offences. I will write separately to the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee with the details of the methodology to be applied.
	Proposal for a Council Framework Decision on combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography;
	The Framework Decision was remitted for further consideration of the penalties for these offences and of an Italian reservation on the proposed exemption from criminal liability in cases involving persons over the age of sexual consent.
	Any other business;
	Italy gave an update on the feasibility study into the creation of a European Border Guard which would be presented to a Ministerial Conference in Rome on 30 May 2002. Germany proposed an initiative for an European Union fund to assist the victims of terrorism. The Council also had exchanges of views on the treatment of Palestinian asylum seekers and on the negotiation mandates for agreements with Switzerland concerning their participation in the Schengen and Dublin Conventions. The Presidency reported on the outcome of the European Union/Mediterranean conference which took place in Spain on 2223 April 2002.
	Meeting with Russian Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs in the margins of the Council;
	Justice and Interior Ministers met with their counterparts from Russia in the margins of the Council to discuss action to combat organised crime and the management of migration and borders. A joint Declaration establishing a network of contact points to facilitate the exchange of information on organised crime was adopted.

Community Wardens

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the powers of arrest given to community wardens under the Police Reform Bill.

John Denham: Community support officers and members of community safety accreditation schemes, as contained in Chapter 1 of Part 4 of the Police Reform Bill, will not have powers of arrest. It is the Government's belief that, where appropriate, the chief officer of police should be able to give community support officers the power to detain someone for up to 30 minutes, pending the arrival of a constable, and, as a last resort, to use reasonable force to enforce this.
	The Government would also like to allow the chief officer of police and the person's employer, to give members of community safety accreditation schemes, (which could include warden schemes) the power of detention, but without the use of reasonable force.
	The provisions which would have made the power of detention available in this way were removed in another place. We have already stated our intention to re-introduce these provisions during consideration of the Bill in this House. The provisions in Chapter 1 of Part 4 are enabling, not prescriptive. It will be for each chief officer of police to decide whether and how to use community support officers and community safety accreditation schemes to combat crime and disorder and increase public reassurance.

Families of Murder Victims

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the procedure is for distribution of homicide information packs by family liaison police officers to families of murder victims.
	(2)  how many homicide information packs were handed out by family liaison police officers in the last year.

John Denham: holding answer 29 April 2002
	The exact figures as to how many of the Home Office pack Information for Families of Homicide Victims are handed out by police family liaison officers (FLOs) are not available.
	In cases of homicide, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) family liaison strategy states that FLOs should provide the pack to one or more family members at as early a stage as possible in order for bereaved people to establish some control over their access to the information. The FLO's own knowledge of the criminal justice system and coroners' processes should be used as appropriate to suggest to a family member that they may look at the pack or part of it, on their own, with another family member, with the FLO, or with Victim Support, as issues arise for them. Furthermore, the obligation of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in explaining any decisions made in accordance with its Victim's Charter should be explained and, where appropriate, a meeting facilitated.

Police

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have left Sussex constabulary in the last 12 months through (a) retirement, (b) early retirement, (c) injury and (d) other employment.

John Denham: holding answer 29 April 2002
	In the period from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, figures for Sussex were as follows:
	(a) Normal retirements82
	(b) Early retirements (ill health)11
	(c) Injury retirements5
	(d) Transfers to other employment13.
	In addition, 77 officers left Sussex before retirement age with no transferral of pension rights to other employment.

Sirius Project

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the Sirius project; and what contingency plans his Department has for the project not being completed on schedule.

Angela Eagle: The information technology 2000 contract, placed with the Sirius consortium, provides the Home Office with information technology and related services. It has been providing the Department with information technology since 5 February 2001, and is expected to do so until February 2011. Business continuity plans are in place and kept under regular review.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of each version of the internal guidance which have been drawn up by his Department since 1 January 1999 to assist staff in his Department to answer subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Angela Eagle: No. Department-wide guidance has been issued on the handling of subject access requests, but advice has been issued within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and in the Prison Service, the two areas where most subject access requests are received. I am placing copies of the relevant guidance in the Library. In the case of the IND instructions certain sections have been edited for operational and security reasons.

Asylum Applications

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to accelerate the asylum application process; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the asylum application process is clearly understood by applicants.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 1 May 2002
	The measures set out in the White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Haven published in February 2002, and in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill are designed to accelerate the asylum process. The introduction of a managed system of induction, accommodation, reporting and removal centres will secure a seamless asylum process and maintain contact with applicants. The appeals system will be streamlined to minimise delay and cut down barriers to removal.
	Asylum seekers will attend an induction centre for detailed briefing by the voluntary sector and the Home Office. A pilot induction centre opened in Dover in January 2002.

Racism and Xenophobia

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what definition of (a) racism and (b) xenophobia is used by his Department.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The terms racism and xenophobia are not defined in the United Kingdom's domestic law. Our law deals with those who act on racism through, for example, racial discrimination or inciting racial hatred, behaviours which are defined in our legislation. Where these terms appear and are not defined, such as in Article 29 of the Treaty of European Union, in the view of United Kingdom Government the terms should be given their ordinary accepted meaning having regard to the context in which they are used. This is also the approach taken within the Home Office.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Coolants

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what coolant will be used for the building services water chilling system for the new GCHQ building.

Jack Straw: The consortium (Integrated Accommodation Services) building the new GCHQ accommodation are using the refrigerant HFC 134A to chill the water. This is a commercially available non-ozone depleting refrigerant.

Ministerial Training

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 April 2002
	Nothing.

Ministerial Training

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 April 2002
	Since 1997 the FCO has spent 1,995,213 on the delivery of leadership skills and other management or job related training programmes.
	The Secretary of State and current ministerial team have not attended the programmes provided by CMPS or the in house FCO programmes.
	
		 
		
			  Cost per year 
		
		
			 Top management programme(33)  
			 199798 128,780 
			 199899 145,630 
			 19992000 51,535 
			 200001  
			 200102  
			 Total 209,945 
			   
			 Band C management development programme(34)  
			 199798  
			 199899  
			 19992000  
			 200001 206,749 
			 200102 198,821 
			 Total 405,570 
			   
			 Band D management development programme(35)  
			 199798  
			 199899  
			 19992000  
			 200001 502,953 
			 200102 611,783 
			 Total 1,114,736 
			   
			 SMS management development programme(36)  
			 199798  
			 199899  
			 19992000  
			 200001 91,174 
			 200102 50,647 
			 Total 141,821 
			 Strategic leadership for senior managers(37)  
			 199798  
			 199899  
			 19992000  
			 200001 11,868 
			 200102 89,300 
			 Total 101,168 
			   
			 Deputy head of mission programme(38)  
			 199798  
			 199899 4,000 
			 19992000 4,000 
			 200001 325 
			 200102 1,148 
			 Total 9,473 
			   
			 Heads of mission programme(39)  
			 199798  
			 199899  
			 19992000  
			 200001  
			 200102 12,500 
			 Total 12,500 
			   
			 Total costs 1,995,213 
		
	
	(33) Provided by London Business School 19972000
	(34) Provided by International Training Service (ITS) 200002
	(35) Provided by Ashridge 2000 to date
	(36) Provided by Innermost 2000 to date
	(37) Provided by Innermost 2001 to date
	(38) Provided by in house speakers from the Senior Management Structure 1999 to date
	(39) Provided by in house speakers from the Senior Management Structure 2001 to date

Ministerial Training

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on voice coaching for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 April 2002
	Since 1997 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent 257,533 on the delivery of presentation and media skills training.
	The FCO provides in-house training in Effective Speaking, Presentation Skills for Senior Grades, Presentation Skills for Occasional Speakers and Media Skills and Techniques for FCO Officials. The FCO employs professional training providers, via competitive tender, to deliver presentation and media skills training.
	The Secretary of State and current ministerial team have not attended programmes provided by Centre for Management and Policy Studies or FCO in-house courses.
	Effective Speaking for Officers in Band B and above and Effective Speaking for Senior Grades
	Training provided by:
	Effective Speaking Ltd. 199799
	Crystal Media 1999 to date
	A two day course to help officers prepare presentations, improve their vocal technique and increase confidence and a one day course to help senior officers prepare a presentation, improve their vocal technique and take questions from the floor.
	Cost per year:
	200001: 84,490
	200102 1 : 83,729
	Total: 168,219
	Effective Presentation Skills for Occasional Speakers
	Training provided by:
	Effective Speaking Ltd. 19972001
	Crystal Media 2001 to date
	A one or two day ad hoc course for individuals to help them prepare and deliver an effective presentation.
	
		
			  Cost per year () 
		
		
			 199798  
			 199899 6,000 
			 19992000 10,558 
			 200001 7,231 
			 200102 28,821 
			  
			 Total 52,610 
		
	
	Media skills: BBC In-House; Radio and Telephone Skills; TV, Radio and Telephone Skills (19972000) Media Skills and Techniques (2000 to date)
	Training provided by:
	FCO in-house trainers with ad hoc input from Crystal Media 1997 to date
	Cost per year:
	200001: 18,283
	200102 1 : 18,421
	Total: 36,704
	Total costs: 257,533
	1 No records available prior to 2000.

Israel

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in other European Union countries on seeking compensation from the Israeli Government for damage to or the destruction of EU-financed projects in Gaza and the West Bank as a result of Israeli military action.

Jack Straw: holding answer 2 May 2002
	The damage to EU and other donor funded projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip caused by Israeli military actions was first discussed by EU Foreign Ministers at the 28 January General Affairs Council. Following that meeting the EU demanded that this practice stop and reserved the right to demand compensation in the appropriate fora. That remains our position. The European Commission continues therefore to monitor and cost the damage arising from recent IDF operations.

Israel

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European and United States counterparts about the situation in Israel.

Ben Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has spoken to US Secretary of State (three times since Saturday), and has had regular discussions with his European Union colleagues about the situation in Israel and the occupied territories. The middle east peace process was discussed at the General Affairs Council on 15 April and at the Valencia EuroMed meeting on 23 April.

Fiji

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people from Fiji have received entry clearance to reside in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 2 May 2002
	I list below details of entry clearance applications received and issued in Suva for settlement since 1997. We do not record the nationality of those applying for settlement and applicants can apply at any post in the world.
	To differentiate between nationality of each applicant, we would need to ask all 166 entry clearance posts to carry out a manual search of their records. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Received Issued 
		
		
			 1997 36 36 
			 1998 42 39 
			 1999 22 20 
			 2000 42 42 
			 2001(40) 7 7 
		
	
	(40) 2001 statistics cover period 1 January to 31 March 2001
	All entry clearance posts submit an annual statistical return from which the above statistics were obtained. This information is collated in the Entry Clearance Annual Statistics booklet, copies of which are currently available in the House Library. The latest year for which this information is available is 2000.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the written questions asked of him between (a) 1 to 30 June 2001, (b) 1 to 31 July 2001, (c) 1 to 30 September 2001, (d) 1 to 31 October 2001, (e) 1 to 30 November 2001, (f) 1 to 31 December 2001, (g) 1 to 31 January 2002, (h) 1 to 28 February 2002, (i) 1 to 31 March 2002 and (j) 1 to 30 April 2002 that had not received a substantive answer by 30 April; and if he will state (i) the name of the hon. Member asking the question and (ii) the reasons the question had not received a substantive answer.

Jack Straw: holding answer 2 May 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons, my right hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 2 May 2002, Official Report, column 949W.
	The following questions have not yet received a substantive reply.
	(a) None
	(b) None
	(c) None
	(d) None
	(e) None
	(f) None
	(g) None
	(h) None.
	(i) Three questions from the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow), the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), and my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones). Due to administrative errors the processing of the questions was delayed. The question from the hon. Member for Buckingham has been answered and the questions from the hon. Member for Meriden and my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak will be answered shortly.
	(j) On 30 April 26 questions were awaiting a substantive reply from the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Andrew Mackinlay), the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner), my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara), my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas), my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths), my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich (Mr. Henderson), my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Andy King), my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Lepper), my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Dudley, North (Ross Cranston), my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones), my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney), my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas), the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh), the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor), the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Dr. Tonge) and my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Baillieston (Mr. Wray).
	Those questions which have not already received an answer will receive an answer shortly.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times his Department has discussed the two Whitehall budgets for conflict prevention, referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in a speech to the Royal College of Defence Studies on Thursday 25 April, with (a) the Ministry of Defence and (b) the Department for International Development; when these discussions took place; and what (i) spending commitment and (ii) countries were discussed on each occasion.

Jack Straw: I (and my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook)), have met colleagues in the Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development to discuss the global pool on 30 November 2000, 15 March 2001 and 25 February 2002. We decided priority regions and themes for the pool as well as discussing administrative procedures for the pool. The current priorities for the global pool are Afghanistan, the Balkans, Belize/Guatemala, Indonesia/ East Timor, central and eastern Europe, Russia/FSU, middle east, South Asia, small arms and light weapons, UN reform, OSCE/Council of Europe reform, and EU civilian crisis management.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development, who chairs the Africa Pool Ministerial Group, has met colleagues on 25 October 2000, 7 December 2000, 27 February 2001, 23 July 2001, 22 October 2001, 10 December 2001 and 4 February 2002. These meetings considered country and thematic priorities as well as management arrangements for the Africa pool. The country priorities agreed by Ministers are Sierra Leone, DRC and the Great Lakes, Sudan, Nigeria and Angola. Thematic priorities are building African peacekeeping capacity and tackling the economic causes of conflict.
	In addition officials meet on a regular basis.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the two Whitehall budgets for conflict prevention, referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in a speech to the Royal College of Defence Studies on Thursday 25 April 2002, have been spent on (a) by date and (b) by spending commitment.

Jack Straw: A report on the activities of the pools in their first year will be published later in 2002 and will describe the programmes funded by the pools.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have benefited from the two Whitehall budgets for conflict prevention, referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in a speech to the Royal College of Defence Studies on Thursday 25 April; and in what ways.

Jack Straw: Most of the funds allocated to the global pool have been divided among a set of geographical and thematic priority areas:
	The Balkans
	Central and Eastern Europe
	Russia and the Former Soviet Union
	Indonesia and East Timor
	The Middle East and North Africa
	Afghanistan
	Belize/Guatemala
	South Asia
	Small Arms and Light Weapons
	Strengthening the UN
	EU Civilian Crisis Management
	The OSCE and Council of Europe.
	The thematic priorities are of potential benefit to countries in both pools.
	The Sub-Saharan Africa pool has prioritised the following areas and themes:
	Sierra Leone
	Nigeria
	DRC and the Great Lakes
	Sudan
	Angola
	Building African Peacekeeping capacity
	Tackling the economic causes of conflict.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which existing funds the money for the two Whitehall budgets for conflict prevention, referred to by the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State in a speech to the Royal College of Defence Studies on Thursday 25 April, was taken.

Jack Straw: The money for the Sub-Saharan Africa and Global Conflict Prevention Pools came from relevant existing funds held by the Ministry of Defence, the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office plus an additional contribution from HM Treasury.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to spend the two Whitehall budgets for conflict prevention, referred to by the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State in a speech to the Royal College of Defence Studies on Thursday 25 April.

Jack Straw: Spending under the Sub-Saharan Africa and Global Conflict Prevention Pools is well under way. The PSA target of the pools is improved effectiveness of the UK contribution to conflict prevention and management as demonstrated by a reduction in the number of people whose lives are affected by violent conflicts and a reduction in potential sources of future conflict, where the UK can make a significant contribution. Activities funded by the pools are tailored to meet this target.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) size and (b) nature is of the two Whitehall budgets for conflict prevention, referred to by the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State in a speech to the Royal College of Defence Studies on Thursday 25 April.

Jack Straw: Following a review of the Government's conflict prevention and resolution activities, the FCO, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development agreed to pool relevant existing funds to allow for a more co-ordinated approach to conflict prevention and resolution activities. Two conflict prevention pools were established on 1 April 2001: Sub-Saharan Africa (Africa pool) and another for the rest of the world (global pool). The Africa pool has been allocated 50 million per annum from 200104 to spend on conflict prevention programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The global pool budget will be 60 million for 200102, 68 million for 200203 and 78 million for 200304.
	In addition, the pools contribute to the additional costs of the UK assessed and non-assessed contributions to support UN and other peacekeeping and peace- enforcement operations. In 200102 these included commitments in Sierra Leone, DRC, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Iraqi no fly zones.

Plane-spotters

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Dutch Government concerning co-operation regarding the British and Dutch plane-spotters in Greece.

Jack Straw: I have had no direct discussions with the Dutch Government concerning this case. However since the arrest of the aviation enthusiasts, on 10 November 2001 until their release on 14 December 2001, our embassy in Athens were in almost daily contact with the Dutch embassy at consul, consul-general and ambassadorial levels. On 9 December, our ambassador along with the Dutch ambassador visited the defendants while in prison. On 19 April this year both the British and Dutch consuls in Athens met with the group's defence lawyers, and sat together during the trial between 2426 April.

Greece

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will next meet his Greek counterpart on a bilateral basis.

Jack Straw: I have no plans for a bilateral meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister, George Papandreou, although I hope to see him at the Brussels GAC on 13 May.

Gibraltar

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his answer of 30 April 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 651W, if he will make a statement on the meeting between the Minister for Europe and his Spanish counterpart on 2 May.

Peter Hain: As I informed the House on 30 April 2002, Official Report, column 651W, I met my Spanish counterpart in London on 2 May. We had a friendly and constructive meeting. We made further progress. Substantial difficulties remain. We remain committed to reaching an agreement if possible.

Gibraltar

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what requests his Department has made since 10 December 2001 for information concerning smuggling between Gibraltar and Spain;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of information it has received prior to 10 December 2001 concerning smuggling between Gibraltar and Spain;
	(3)  when his Department last received information from the Spanish authorities concerning smuggling between Gibraltar and Spain;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of information it has received since 10 December 2001 concerning smuggling between Gibraltar and Spain.

Jack Straw: As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe said in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber (Mr. Stewart) on 10 December 2001, Official Report, column 633W, we have asked the Spanish Government to make available to us any current evidence that they have of significant cross-border smuggling. We will continue to do so whenever complaints are made, and would, with the Government of Gibraltar, investigate any evidence received. We have not seen any recent evidence of large-scale smuggling.

Gibraltar

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his visit to Gibraltar on 3 May.

Peter Hain: The Foreign Secretary visited Gibraltar on 3 May. He met the Chief Minister, opposition leaders Mr. Joe Bossano and Mr. Joe Garcia; and other leading Gibraltarians during meetings with a range of representative organisations. He took part in a phone-in organised by the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. He also saw for himself the recent changes at the border. He met the commander, British forces.
	The Foreign Secretary explained our objective is a settled, secure and prosperous future for Gibraltar. He underlined that no agreement would be better than a bad agreement and that the people of Gibraltar would have the final say in a referendum.

Gibraltar

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has asked Spain to relinquish its claim to full sovereignty of Gibraltar as part of the talks under the terms of the Brussels process on the future status of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Dorset (Mr. Walter) on 16 April 2002, Official Report, column 451, and to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 24 April 2002, Official Report, columns 29495W.

Gibraltar

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government of Gibraltar was advised of his intention to visit Gibraltar in May.

Peter Hain: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has stated his intention to visit Gibraltar on a number of occasions. The Foreign Secretary told the Chief Minister on 30 April of his intention to visit on 3 May.

Olympic Games

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department is preparing for UK citizens who will visit Greece (a) this summer and (b) for the Athens 2004 Olympic games with regard to activities which are legal in the United Kingdom but illegal and imprisonable in Greece; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel advice is kept under constant review, and is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/travel. The travel advice for Greece includes guidance on local laws and customs. Specific travel advice for the 2004 Olympic games will be prepared nearer the time. Currently the advice for Greece headed Local Laws and Customs reads:
	Visitors should not become involved with drugs of any kind. Possession of even small quantities can lead to long terms of imprisonment.
	Driving any vehicle whilst over the legal drinking limit is heavily penalised and can result in stiff fines and/or imprisonment.
	Visitors seeking employment in bars or night clubs should be aware that they are required to have a Health certificate/licence issued by the local authorities to work in such establishments. Failure to have such a certificate is punishable by a fine and or imprisonment.
	Do not take photographs or make notes near military or official installations. Seek permission before photographing individuals.
	Should we become aware of any other laws that differ significantly from those of the United Kingdom and which may impact adversely on British nationals we will, of course, highlight them in the travel advice.

Saudi Arabia

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department was first informed of the arrest of the Britons related to bombing incidents in Saudi Arabia; and when he and officials in his Department made representations to the Saudi Government on behalf of the accused.

Jack Straw: The five British nationals accused of involvement in bombings in Saudi Arabia were arrested on separate occasions between 17 December 2000 and 8 June 2001. FCO officials learned of each arrest shortly after it had happened.
	Ministers and FCO officials have made repeated representations on these cases from the outset. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made representations on numerous occasions directly with the Saudis. We will continue to do all we can for the detainees.

Saudi Arabia

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department was informed of the sentences passed on the Britons accused of the bombing campaign in Saudi Arabia; and what sentences were passed against each of the accused.

Jack Straw: The Saudi authorities have not informed us that sentences have been passed on the five British nationals accused of involvement in the bombings. We cannot release details of individual consular cases and the men have a right to confidentiality.

Zimbabwe

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will widen the scope of the UK/EU travel ban against Zimbabwean officials to include businessmen.

Jack Straw: Any possible further measures against Zimbabwe will depend on the outcome of the current inter-party dialogue between ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European colleagues regarding military action against Iraq; and which European countries have made a commitment to supplying troops for military action against Iraq.

Ben Bradshaw: We stay in close touch with European and other Governments about the situation in Iraq. Since no decision has been made on military action against Iraq, no Government, including the UK, have made troop commitments.

Lockerbie

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at which meetings of the UN Security Council Professor Hans Koechler's report on the appeal proceedings at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands was (a) on the agenda and (b) discussed.

Ben Bradshaw: None.